Picking Up the Pieces
by Book 'em Again
Summary: Steve, Danny, Chin, and Kono were the best detective unit that Hawaii had ever seen. But when outside forces cause them to be divided each must find the strength to persevere or lose everything that they ever stood for.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Don't fear, I have not abandoned my prequel series as the next story is being worked on. The story before you happened because plot bunnies for this one invaded my muse and refused to leave until I wrote their story. Also, this story is written in the spirit of the Five-O episodes that had a spy/international element to them, that is to say that the plot in this story is a little more convoluted and pushes against the boundaries of realism in what I hope is true to Five-O style. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One: Threat<strong>

_The cool waters of the Hawaiian ocean surrounded Dan Williams, former Five-O detective, as he swam toward the ship ahead. Swimming alongside him was his companion and friend Officer Ben Kokua, a detective in the Honolulu Police Department. They were working together to complete a near impossible task but that wasn't their biggest problem. _

_The problem was that Danny wasn't even supposed to be here. Danny no longer had the authority to be here and a whole lot of people were putting their necks on the line by allowing him to be involved in this operation but they had no other option._

_Danny needed to be here._

_For the threat had been made. The perps would rather destroy themselves, their ship, and the HPD men gathered on the dock then surrender their illegal human cargo. Danny was the only person in the immediate vicinity with the training to disarm a bomb. And so Danny's current lack of a badge was overlooked as plans were made to put him into a position to disarm it._

_A lot was riding on his shoulders and Danny just prayed that his recent training in bomb disposal would be adequate for the task at hand._

_After all, it was what had started this whole mess._

* * *

><p><em>July 1972<em>

It was a typical day in the office for Jenny Sherman, secretary for Hawaii Five-O, as she fed another piece of paper into her typewriter when the phone beside her began ringing. "Hawaii Five-O, how may I help you?"

"This is Beth from United Airlines. I'm just calling to inform you that flight 3980 from Los Angeles has been delayed and is now scheduled to land at 1:13 pm."

Jotting down the information, Jenny thanked the agent and hung up. While the delay was disappointing, she was glad to know that Danny would be returning, even if it was two hours later than they were expecting. The office just didn't seem right without him. And while the Steve, Chin, and Kono would never admit it, the stress of trying to run Five-O with three detectives for an extended period of time was beginning to take its toll.

Danny had been gone for over a month learning the skills of disarming explosives at a school in Alabama. This was the training that Jenny knew that Danny had wanted to receive ever since he had to disarm his first bomb a year and a half ago. If Jenny would close her eyes she could picture that moment perfectly: Danny bent over the bomb, sweat rolling down his forward as he followed directions shouted to him through a closed door. Danny had pulled through and saved everyone in the room, including her, but the fact that he never would have been able to disarm that bomb without help irked the young detective. Being certified in bomb disposal was Danny's way of dealing with the aftermath of that case. Jenny couldn't be prouder.

Stretching as she stood up, Jenny moved over to Steve's office and stuck her head through the door. "Steve."

"Yes."

"Danny's plane's delayed. He's not getting in until after one."

Steve's brow furrowed in thought. "That's when I have the meeting with Attorney General?"

"Correct."

"See if Kono can pick him up."

Jenny nodded and walked toward Kono's cubicle. Only a few more hours and things would be back to normal.

* * *

><p>A slight frown crossed the face of a sandy-haired detective as he looked around for a familiar black Mercury sedan. Failing to spot his ride, Dan Williams checked his watch; it was 11:23 am and for once his plane had landed on time. Steve must be busy responding to a case or have simply forgotten when his flight was coming in.<p>

Weary from the long flight, Danny picked up his suitcase and walked to the nearest payphone. He'd call the office and have Jenny send someone to pick him. After six weeks on the mainland, Danny was ready to be home and sleep in his own bed.

Stepping into the booth, Danny dug in his pockets for some change. Once he found what he needed he started to reach for the phone but stopped when he felt something hard jab into his back.

"Freeze, Mr. Williams," a cold voice stated behind him.

Moving slowly, Danny let go of the phone and held out his arms. "What is the meaning of this?"

Silence was Danny's answer as rough hands patted him down. Once they discovered that he was unarmed, Danny was allowed to turn around and look at the men threatening him. There were two, both Caucasian, and dressed in nondescript dark suits. The shorter of the two men held out a badge. "FBI. You're under arrest."

It took all of Danny's self-control to remain still and not react in a way that would make things worse but his mind was instantly suspicious. However, Danny forced his voice to remain calm as he asked, "On what charge?"

"Conspiracy to set off an improvised explosive device."

"This must be some mistake," Danny protested. "I just came your school in Huntsville where I learned how to _disarm_ bombs not arm them."

"A man has to know how to make a bomb in order to unmake one."

The taller man reached for his cuffs as he replied, "If this is just a misunderstanding then there is no harm done in coming with us. But if you resist we will have no choice but to assume that you are a threat and handle it accordingly."

This was ridiculous but there was no mistaking the tone of that voice; Danny was going to have to obey. They had him cornered in the phone booth and the badge was legit. Reluctantly, Danny held out his hands and watched as the cuffs were secured around his wrists. The men grabbed his arms and walked him toward a waiting car. Danny was quickly shoved into the back seat.

As the car pulled away, Danny didn't have time to note which direction it was heading before a hand forced a cloth over his mouth and nose. Then Danny knew no one more as darkness claimed him.

* * *

><p>Kono Kalakaua was normally a patient man but as he looked at his watch and at the board listing the incoming flights, he was quickly becoming frustrated as Danny's flight wasn't listed. Hoping that his friend wasn't stuck in LA, he decided that standing around wasn't getting him anywhere and went looking for a service agent.<p>

A pretty young woman looked up from the counter and smiled as the detective approached. "How can I help you?"

Kono grinned back. "Has flight 3980 from Los Angeles been delayed?"

The woman frowned as she looked at her papers. "We don't any flights matching that description coming in today…Wait, there it is. The plane landed on time two hours ago."

"Can you tell me if Dan Williams was a passenger on dat flight?"

After finding the necessary papers, the woman nodded. "Yes, he was."

Kono didn't want to jump to conclusion but his gut was telling him that something fishy was going on. If Danny had landed on time and no ride was there, he would have called the office, wouldn't have he? Though it was possible that he took a cab to his apartment.

"Can I use your phone?" Kono asked the agent.

"Certainly."

Picking up the phone, Kono quickly dialed the number to Danny's apartment but there was no answer. Not able to shake the feeling that something was wrong, he hung up and called the office.

"Hawaii Five-O."

"Jenny, Kono. Who was da agent who told you Danny's plane was late?"

"A woman named Beth. Kono, what's going on?"

"I'll tell you later. Mahalo."

Looking back at the agent, Kono continued his questioning, "Is dere anyone named Beth working today?"

The woman looked confused. "No one by that name works here."

Unfortunately, that was the answer Kono was expecting to hear. Something was definitely wrong. However, there was one last thing that Kono wanted to check before he called Steve. Turning away from the counter, Kono walked swiftly outside to the curb and approached the closest security guard. "Kalakaua, Five-O. How long have ya been on duty?"

"Since seven this morning."

"Have you seen a man: haole, 'bout 5'7 with curly sandy blond hair?"

"Sure, lots of guys coming through here match that description but there was a guy matching that description who was arrested a couple hours ago."

"Arrested?" Kono asked incredulously.

"By two guys in suits. The man who described was in the phone booth. I noticed them corner the guy but they showed him a badge so I figured it was official and stayed out of the way."

"Did you see what agency they were?"

"No, sorry."

Kono politely nodded and thanked the man for his help but inwardly he was worried. The man who was arrested had to have been Danno; it was the only explanation that made sense with the facts at hand. The problem was how had this happened without Five-O's knowledge? There were very few authorities that would have been able to arrest him without Steve knowing and all of them would mean major trouble.

Steve was going to go berserk when he found out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Search**

_First one head then a second broke through to the surface of the water. The two men had surfaced on the port side of the ship as close to the hull as they could manage. They needed to work quickly in order to climb through an open porthole before they were spotted, hoping that the ship's crew was focused on the scene on the dock._

_Danny treaded water as Ben used the crevices in the hull to climb up to the nearest porthole. After checking that there was no one on the other side, Ben used a tool that Danny couldn't see to open the circular window so he could squeeze inside. Once Ben was in, Danny wasted no time in following him though his movements were slightly hindered by the pack he carried._

_Once inside, Danny immediately noticed that Ben had his gun out and silencer on, both having stayed dry thanks to a small waterproof bag. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated that Danny be unarmed and he wasn't going to waste time wishing that it was otherwise. _

_They were in; let the search begin._

* * *

><p>"Arrested!" Steve declared. "Are you sure?"<p>

"Dat's what the guard said."

When Steve had returned from his meeting he had gotten hints from Jenny that something was going on at the airport but when Kono called this was the last thing that he was expecting. "See what else you can find."

"Will do, Boss."

Finished, Steve slammed the phone done hard. He could hardly believe the words that had come out of Kono's mouth. Shaking his head, Steve McGarrett stood and looked over at Chin Ho Kelly who had overheard the whole conversation. "Chin, join Kono at the airport."

"Right, Steve."

When the door closed behind Chin, Steve was unable to stand still. Pacing around the room, the detective's thoughts matched the pace of his hurried footsteps. _Arrested!_ That was unthinkable; he couldn't think of anything that Danny could have done that would have called for him to be arrested. No, he must have been set up but by who, how, and why?

Walking over to the French windows, Steve looked outside and inwardly debated his next step. He wanted to immediately get on the phone and get hold of some of his government contacts to find out what was going on but first he needed confirmation that Danny was indeed the man who was arrested. Steve needed to trust that Kono and Chin would find the information they needed at the airport.

Time passed without Steve being aware of it until he was jolted out of his thoughts by the phone ringing. "McGarrett."

"Steve, Chin. I showed a picture of Danny to the security guard. He's positive that Danny was the man who was arrested."

"I hear you, Chin. Stay on it."

After hanging up, Steve quickly dialed the direct line of the person most likely to be able to find him the answers he needed. For once luck on his side as the phone was picked up on the third ring.

"Jonathan Kaye speaking."

"Jonathan, I have a favor to ask."

Jonathan's voice brightened as he figured out who it was he talking to. "What is it, Steve?"

"One of my men, Dan Williams, was arrested this morning without my knowledge. I need to know who, I need to know why and I need you to use your contacts to find out for me."

"I'm sorry to hear that but I'm only responsible for my own little corner of operations."

Steve forced himself not to snap back as he knew an evasion when he heard one. "You have contacts in all of the agencies. Don't tell me that you can't find what happened if you wanted to."

"Steve, I might not be authorized to tell you if I do discover something,"

"You owe me, Jonathan. You owe Danno. How many times has Five-O dropped everything to help you out on your cases? Dan Williams was an essential part of those operations."

Steve heard Jonathan sigh in resignation. "Alright, I'll see what I can do."

Even though Jonathan agreed to help, Steve was not satisfied as he hung up the phone. While this whole thing screamed setup to him, part of Steve wasn't so sure. What was in Danno's past that caused the one of the government agencies to order his arrest?

Danno has spent the past six weeks at an FBI school so that couldn't be it. He had left for the mainland shortly after the Ralston case and Steve couldn't think of anything particular in that case that would have brought this on. In fact, the only recent case Danny had worked on with international consequences was with Wo Fat but if that was the case then Steve should have been the one arrested as he was the one that Wo Fat set up. Getting nowhere, Steve slammed his right hand against his office wall in frustration.

The wall was saved from further acts of destruction when Jenny poked her head into the office. "Steve, there's a gentlemen out here from the FBI. He says his name is Peter Black and that it's imperative that he meet with you."

Immediately, Steve was professional as he walked back to his chair and sat down. "Send him in."

The agent walked into the office and if Steve wasn't busy holding back his temper he would have let out a snort of derision. Peter Black was a middle-aged men dressed in all black with black hair slicked back and dark eyes making Steve doubt that Black was really his name. As Black took a seat across from him, Steve cut straight to the chase. "I would ask you why you're here but I think I know."

Black smiled as he responded, "Your people work fast."

"My men are good at what they do."

"Including Williams?"

"Including Williams."

"Then perhaps you can explain to me why a good man like Mr. Williams would be involved in a terrorist group plotting to set off an explosive device."

Steve leaned forward, staring straight into Black's eyes. "Putting aside the ridiculous nature of the accusation you just made, my question is why if your agency is convinced of this did they let my detective study explosives at your school?"

"We had our suspicions but we didn't have definitive proof until early this morning."

"You expect me to believe this."

"You don't have a choice. We have financial records and we found pamphlets in his apartments contacting him to this group."

"I would be interested to know who placed those materials there."

Black inclined his head toward Steve. "I suspect you would."

There was something about Black's response that convinced Steve that the agent didn't believe that Danny was any more guilty of what he was accusing him of then Steve did. "Quit the games, Mr. Black. Why are you really here?"

The agent smirked and leaned back is his chair. "Why, McGarrett, it seems like your reputation is well deserved."

It took every ounce of willpower that Steve had to keep him leaping across his desk and strangling the man. "Get to your point."

"We have received word from our agents in Asia that there a new major crime syndicate is forming in Singapore. The word is they are planning to use Honolulu as their main port to smuggle goods into this country."

"I don't see what this has to do with the arrest of my detective."

"We are low on manpower at the moment and would like you to go to Singapore and investigate this new group and we'll take another look at the charges against your detective."

"I don't take very well to being threatened," Steve growled.

"Don't think of it as a threat, Mr. McGarrett. Think of it as mutual exchange of favors. You find the information we need and we'll find the information needed to clear your detective's name."

"You could have just asked," Steve stated through gritted teeth.

"Would have you agreed?"

Would have he? Quickly thinking it over Steve knew what the answer had to be for with Danno gone for so long Five-O was too backed up for him to done anything more than investigate on the local end. "No," he answered truthfully.

"Then you understand why we needed to go to these…unorthodox means."

"You expect me to believe that I am the most qualified man for this task, that you don't have men who are capable of handling this investigation."

"At the moment, yes, you are the best option we have. Besides, working with us will also help out Hawaii. I doubt you would want another crime syndicate moving in."

"And if I say no?" Steve asked even though he already knew the answer.

"We have all the 'proof' we need to convict Williams."

Steve could feel his temper rising with every word that Black said. "I won't let you send Danny to prison."

"Prison? McGarrett, I don't think you fully understand the situation. Federal law allows for stricter penalties than those available in the state of Hawaii."

There were no ways for Steve to respond civilly to that threat. Jumping to his feet, he made it around to the other side of his desk in two seconds flat while screaming, "Get out!"

Black quickly stood up and backed up to the door. "McGarrett…"

"Out!"

Black raced to the entrance of the outer office and then looked back at the raging detective. "You're not doing Williams any good by refusing to cooperate, McGarrett," the agent called out before disappearing from sight.

* * *

><p>Chin heard Steve's voice long before he reached the Five-O office. Pausing a moment at the outer door, Chin gestured towards Kono suggesting that he lead the way into the room. "Don't look at me, Bruddah" the Hawaiian detective said.<p>

Sighing, Chin pushed open the door and quickly saw through the open door into Steve's office that the Boss was yelling into a phone and it didn't take much deductive reasoning to figure out why.

"Jonathan, they can't do this. Legally, they have no right to swoop in here and ignore all laws."

As Chin walked toward his boss, he met the concerned eyes of Jenny Sherman and shook his head, signaling to her that he had nothing that would help get Danny back.

Steve was still going strong. "I not going to stand by and let some rogue agent use Danno to force me to respond. I don't make deals with criminals, not even those who hide behind a badge."

Jenny leaned towards Chin and whispered, "He been screaming at the phone for the past ten minutes. Chin winced, knowing that Jonathan Kaye was someone who would support them if he could and, no matter how supportive someone was, Steve was not an easy person to deal with when he was in this mood.

"I don't care whose toes you have to step on or who you have to drag out of bed just get me my detective back." Then slamming down the phone, Steve turned towards the two detectives who entered his office. "What've ya got?"

"Nothin' new, Boss," Kono answered regretfully. "No one could recall the car or give a better description of the men den we already have."

"No word on the street yet," Chin added. "Whoever arrested Danny is going to some lengths to keep it quiet."

"The FBI."

"What?" Chin asked.

"The FBI arrested Danny." Steve clarified and then related the events of his meeting with Peter Black.

"How can they do dis!" Kono exclaimed.

"Because they know they can get away with it, Kono. And unless Jonathan can convince the right people to order Black's team to back off we're going to have a long battle ahead of us."

Shocked, Chin wasn't quite sure what to make of Steve's meeting. "Steve, this doesn't make any sense. They don't need you to go to Singapore."

"You would think so, Chin," Steve stated. "There is definitely something else going on here and I intend to find out what it is."

Kono looked like he was about to respond when Steve's private line starting ringing. Steve hit the speaker button so that they all could listen in. "McGarrett."

"It seems you have friends in high places. The FBI will drop the charges against Williams."

Chin held back a whistle, Jonathan worked faster than he ever could have imagined possible.

Steve, however, wasn't fazed. "When will my detective be released?"

"As soon as you pick him up. You can find him in a house at 402 Manoa Street."

Steve didn't wait for Black to hang up for as soon as the address was spoken the detective sprinted for the door with Chin and Kono right at his heels.

* * *

><p>When Danny awoke he found himself lying on a cement floor in the middle of an empty closet, his hands still cuffed together. Slowly memories came back to him as he remembered the arrest and getting into a car. Moving into a sitting position, the detective attempted to gather his thoughts.<p>

But Danny's problem was that too many things didn't make sense. He was arrested by the FBI less then twenty-four hours after leaving their school in Huntsville, Alabama. He was arrested because he had knowledge about explosives, knowledge he had gained at a series of classes run by the FBI. The facts just didn't add up.

Danny couldn't help but wonder if he had fooled by the badge.

A fake badge might explain why he hadn't been booked with proper procedures and was in such an unconventional cell. Shaking his head, Danny tried to tell himself that second guessing his decisions wouldn't have changed the result. The two men had been armed and he hadn't been.

After inspecting his cell and finding it to be crude yet effective, Danny settled down for a long wait. He been arrested before but last time Danny found comfort in the knowledge that Steve, Chin and Kono were doing everything in their power to clear his name. How long would it take for Steve to realize that he was missing? Would the FBI even announce his arrest?

This hadn't been how Danny was planning on spending his first day back in Hawaii.

No sooner than that thought crossed his mind, did Danny hear sounds of movement in the building. Shifting so that he was standing crouched on the balls of his feet, Danny prepared to jump if an opportunity presented itself. However, when the door opened Danny fell back onto his butt in shock.

"Found him," Chin yelled out over his shoulder.

As Steve and Kono rushed to Chin's side, Danny rediscovered his voice. "That was quick."

Steve looked his second-in-command over. "Are you hurt?"

"No," Danny replied as he rose to his feet.

The next several minutes passed by in blur as the cuffs were removed from Danny's wrists and the house where he was held captive was searched. Once Steve was satisfied that the premises was clear he led his newly freed detective to his car. After giving his report, Danny listened quietly as Steve related his encounter with Black.

After thinking the facts over, Danny stated, "Steve, I don't think this was about me."

Steve looked worn. "I'm afraid you're right."

"Why was it so important that you go to Singapore that they threaten you with me to get you to cooperate?"

"I don't know, Danno, but we're going to find out."

Danny had no doubt about that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Shock**

_Making guesses was never Danny's preferred method of detective work but today he had no choice. The ship was too big and simply wandering around would increase their chances of discovery. They had figured that the bomb would likely be in the lower levels of the ship in order to maximize danger and be located close to their cargo so to eliminate all traces of illegal activity. Knowing the general layout of ships like this one, Danny directed Ben to where he thought the most likely location was, hoping that they would get lucky._

_When they rounded a corner, their luck ran out as they looked into a face of a crewmember. The man raised his gun and opened his mouth to shout a warning while Danny found himself helpless to respond. But, thankfully, Ben was not._

_Without hesitation, Ben pulled the trigger and the silenced bullet found its mark. As the crewmember started to fall, Danny moved to catch him and slowly lower him to the floor. _

_Once they were sure that the area was secure, Danny noticed what the crewmember had been guarding: attached to a thick metal door was the bomb. On the other side of this door, he could hear the sound of people, of young Chinese girls who were destined to be sold into a life of prostitution._

_They had found it; this was no bluff. This bomb was connected to enough explosives to not only would blow a hole in the ship's hull; it would also incinerate all traces of the girls they were smuggling into the islands._

_It was enough to make Danny sick._

_Looking closer at the bomb, Danny froze in shock. The bomb, the wires, the explosives…all the practice in the world could have never prepared him for this moment._

* * *

><p>The strong smell of coffee filled Chin's nostrils as he brought a mug to his lips. As Chin set the mug back down and looked around the office, he could almost convince himself that things were back to normal. That was if one was willing to ignore the underlying sense of tension that filled the office. No one was comfortable with the ease with which the FBI was able to accuse and arrest Danny and then use that to threaten the rest of them. Steve's connections at the Pentagon had gotten them out of this mess but would that continue to hold true if they came back?<p>

It was something that Chin couldn't afford to dwell on as worrying accomplished nothing and there was a pile of cases that were demanding his attention but as he scanned the HPD overnights he found another one. Chin was immediately drawn to the report of a body of a Jane Doe discovered in Chinatown; the case of death was listed as an overdose/possible suicide.

_Not an another one_, the Chinese detective thought to himself. This was the third girl in two weeks. All of them were Jane Does and Chinese with the case of death listed as overdoses or suicide. From the reports, Chin got the strong sense that HPD was writing off their deaths due to the high probably of the girls being prostitutes since that lifestyle lent itself to one trying to escape the reality of their life in the haze of drugs or the finality of death. However, in Chin's mind that was no excuse for not investigating further, especially when all of the girls where underage. The facts suggested that these girls where being smuggled in from China, most likely against their will and he wanted to do a little digging to see if his hunch was right. Chin hated to think of children the same age of his three eldest girls forced into such a lifestyle and if his gut was right Five-O had the duty to step in and stop this.

"What are you frowning at?"

Chin looked up and spotted Danny leaning against the doorframe of his cubicle. Chin handed over the paper and pointed to the line he wanted Danny to read. "That's the third case in nine days."

Danny's brow furrowed. "That's too many to be a coincidence."

Chin nodded. "I fear that either our local pimps have found a new source for their girls or we have a new player in Chinatown."

Sitting down, Danny mauled over the information that he had been given. "You don't think this could be connected to that organization Black was talking about?"

"I don't know. Black didn't share his information with us."

Danny snorted. "Of course not. Regardless, this is something we should look into."

Relieved that someone else saw what he was seeing, Chin nodded grimly. He hoped that he was wrong and that these were just some local girls who got tied up in the drug scene and came to a sad end because of it.

"Kono's busy ties up some lose ends on the Evans case," Danny continued as he easily fell back into his role of second-in-command. "I'll go talk to Doc and see and he can tell me anything useful. Then I should be able to convince Che to look at the forensics and see if we can discover if these girls are coming from China or not. You check with HPD and your sources in Chinatown and see what you can find."

Chin jerked his head toward Steve's closed door. "Do you think we should tell Steve?"

"Later," Danny stated. "Steve's still worked up over the whole incident with the FBI. I think the boss is going to have his hands full dealing with the bureaucratic aftermath today. I'll let Jenny know what we're doing in case he needs us."

"Sounds like a plan," Chin agreed as they both moved to carry out their tasks.

* * *

><p>While the rest of the team was out investigating cases, Steve McGarrett waited patiently for a visitor to arrive so that he could begin an investigation of his own. When his office door finally opened, Steve stood and extended his right hand. "I'm glad you were able to come, Jonathan."<p>

Jonathan Kaye shook the offered hand and sat down on one of the chairs opposite Steve's desk. "I hope you still think so once I shared my news."

Worried, Steve asked, "Are they coming back after Danno?"

"Danny's safe," Jonathan assured the worried detective. "I'm concerned about the job Black wanted you to do."

"About this mysterious syndicate that supposedly is being formed in Singapore?"

"Not supposedly; there is definitely something big is going on in Asia," Jonathan explained. "A lot of money being thrown around right now and we have proof that a new organization is being formed but until yesterday we didn't know where they were based out of."

Steve was skeptical. "I wouldn't take Black's word at face value."

"Nor would I. When we first received the information that a new major crime organization being formed in the Far East we notified our agents and one of our men sent this message back," Jonathan explained as he pushed a small piece of paper across the large wooden desk.

Taking the paper into his hands, Steve read aloud, "The rat threatens the lion." Then looking back at Jonathan, Steve asked, "What does it mean?"

"We think the rat refers to this new organization."

"And the lion?"

"Steve, how many years did you work in the Pacific?"

Steve thought for a moment before the answer hit him. "The Lion City. Singapore."

"Exactly."

"And Singapore is where Black wanted me to go. You do think that there is a connection between the organization Black mentioned and the one your department has been investigating."

"Yes. Steve, you know how hard it is to stop these people once they become established. We have the chance to nip this in the bud."

"There's one thing I don't understand," Steve said as he leaned back in his chair. "Why are you involved? Isn't your concern with national security threats rather than crime?"

"Crime can be a security threat and an established smuggling operation can bring in more than just drugs. After we investigate further we'll know just what we're dealing with. Until then I consider this new organization a threat."

Suddenly Steve realized where his friend was going with all this information. "Jonathan, you better not be suggesting what I think you are."

"Steve, I'm not going to insult you by suggesting anything, but I know you. This is going to affect Hawaii and do you expect me to believe that you don't want to be involved?"

Steve silently growled; Jonathan had him pegged and he knew it. Steve would not stand by and trust the Feds to handle this properly. He had more trust in Jonathan and the military but all too often 'need to know' meant that those who really needed to know were left in the dark. If Jonathan was inviting him into the investigation he couldn't afford to back out.

"Alright, Jonathan, but we do this our way. No FBI; I don't want Black involved."

"Agreed. If you can handle the investigation from the Hawaii side, I'll contact my agents in Singapore and…"

"No," Steve stated firmly. "Danny can handle the investigation here. I need to be in Singapore. I need to find out why it was so important to Black that I go. How soon can you create me a cover?"

Jonathan hesitated before answering, "By tomorrow. But, Steve, you don't have to do this. I have other men."

"I know that, Jonathan, but my gut is telling me that Singapore is where I belong. Do you have an agent I can meet up with?"

"Tang Yi. He works as an accountant for one of the major shipping companies and should have access to the type of information we'll need."

Steve nodded and the two men put their heads together and started working a plan to get to the bottom of this affair.

* * *

><p>Danny returned from his fact finding trip to discover that the outer office empty expect for Jenny. Steve's office door was closed and Danny hoped that his boss hadn't been shut up alone in his office the whole day. Looking at Jenny, Danny asked, "Is Steve busy?"<p>

"He's been holed up in there with Jonathan Kaye for the past two hours with orders for me to hold all messages unless it's an emergency."

"Thanks." Danny turned and went to his own cubicle. Steve hadn't told him that Jonathan was coming but he shouldn't be surprised. However, the fact that the two very busy men were in a meeting that had latest for two hours told Danny that they were up to something big. Even though he was worried, Danny had to trust that Steve would inform him of what was going on once Jonathan left.

Settling in to do some reading of the cases he had missed over his absence, Danny almost didn't notice Jonathan exit. As the outer office door closed behind Kaye, Danny watched Steve wander out in search of some coffee.

Deciding that he had waited long enough, Danny walked over to his boss. "Have you solved all the world's problems?"

Steve chuckled. "Only a few, Danno." Then with the hand not holding the newly filled coffee mug, Steve gestured for Danny to join him in his office.

Steve didn't make Danny wait long as he broke the news as soon as the door shut behind them. "I've decided to go Singapore."

Danny froze in shock and blinked a few times, not believing the words he just heard. Then looking at Steve's face, Danny realized that the older man was serious and declared, "You've agreed to do _what?_"

"With Kaye's men and intelligence not Black's"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Steve sighed as wondered over to the lanai windows. "I doubt it, Danno, but it's something that I feel that I have to do. I need to know why Black was willing to go to such extreme measures to get me to go. Jonathan has evidence that suggests that Black wasn't lying about the threat."

Forcing himself to not start screaming at this boss, Danny asked through a clenched jaw, "Have you considered that this whole scheme might have been a plot to get you out of Hawaii?"

"I have."

"And?"

"If it is I trust that you can mind the store."

"Steve…" Danny let a plea enter his voice. He didn't like this idea, not one iota. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was some sort of a trap.

"Danny, I can't take the risk that this organization is for real. I will not stand by and let Hawaii be turned into a gateway for smuggling into this country."

Danny shut his mouth because he realized that there was no point in arguing any further; Steve's mind was made up. _Stubborn Irish cop._

Danny spent the rest of the day doing his work in silence as he watched Steve prepare for his departure. Chin and Kono were no happier about Steve's decision than he was but Steve was still determined to go. Danny just hoped that trusting Steve to do what he felt was right would not be a decision that he would come to regret.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Despair**

_As Danny attempted to make heads and tails out of the wires in front of him, he became acutely aware of the fact that disarming a bomb in practice was one thing but seeing one that was armed and would kill him and a host of people if he failed was another. And this time he didn't have an expert shouting directions at him from behind a closed door. _

_An overwhelming feeling of despair threatened to paralyze the former detective as he considered his first move. Who was he to think that he was capable of disarming this thing?_

* * *

><p>Kono was not happy as he submitted the last of the reports from the Evans case. He had been hoping that now with Danny back that he would be able to take a couple of days off and relax only to be told that Steve was going out of country. Kono knew that the boss was concerned over recent events but it was no excuse, in Kono's mind, for him to leave the rest of the team hanging. Steve had only been gone for two days and already the team was counting the days until his return. If the boss hadn't left so soon after Danny's time away than maybe they all wouldn't feel this way but there was no stopping Steve McGarrett when he was convinced that he needed to do something.<p>

A weary Dan Williams accepted Kono's report without a word and gestured for him to sit and wait for Chin. Once the Chinese detective took a seat, Danny began the meeting. "Chin and I have been on the lookout for new players trying to enter Hawaii and so far we don't have much. The only suspicious thing we've found is that Chin thinks there may be a new supplier for the brothels in Chinatown."

"For da existing ones or a new one?" Kono asked.

"I don't know," Chin answered. "There isn't any word on the street about it so whoever is in charge is keeping things quiet. All the evidence we have so far is the dead bodies of three young girls and no clue as to who they are. No match on the fingerprints or their descriptions in missing person reports. I even took the picture of the last girl around to some of the local schools but no luck."

Danny added, "We think the girls may have come from China but Doc or Che couldn't find any evidence to support or disprove that theory. HPD has been informed of what we are looking for so if another dead body turns up they'll call us in."

_Another dead body. _Kono never liked that all too often they needed a criminal to continue to commit crimes for them to be able to catch him or her. In the end, it was the innocent who suffered.

When the conversation shifted to other cases, Kono couldn't help but wonder how much longer they could keep this up: running Five-O with three members. They were all exhausted and his gut told him that the worst was still to come.

* * *

><p>Steve never enjoyed waking up in a new place. Even after fifteen years in the navy, he still got a feeling of disorientation when he awoke until his mind figured out where he was and why.<p>

Steve blinked his eyes and the moment passed as he recognized the pricey hotel room that he was staying in. Traveling as a rich American business man, Steve checked into hotel last night under the name Stephen Lorden. His cover was that he was the owner of a company that sold high quality rugs. Steve's 'business' imported rugs mainly from Turkey but was looking to expand their market to East Asia and needed to find a reliable company in which to ship their goods.

Remembering that he was to meet his contact in a little over an hour, Steve rolled out of bed and got ready. As he dressed, the veteran detective decided that working with Kaye had its privileges for the Pentagon's resources meant that he was now wearing the nicest suit he had ever worn in his life. Steve couldn't resist taking a glance in the mirror and thinking that this wouldn't be the case if had decided to make a career out of Naval Intelligence. However, he would have missed so much more if had never made the decision to run Five-O so Steve would enjoy the perks of occasionally working for the military while remembering that he already had all he wanted back home in Honolulu.

Once Steve was ready, he quickly made his way down to the lobby of the hotel and asked the doorman to summon him a cab. He didn't have to wait long before one was found and he was on his way. The cab pulled up next to a nice restaurant and after giving his name to the Maître D, he was escorted to a table where his contact was waiting.

A short balding Chinese man with glasses rose and bowed when Steve approached. "Mr. Lorden, how good it is to see you."

"Mr. Tang," Steve replied as he gave a short bow.

Tang sat back down and gestured for the waiter to bring drinks. "I am pleased to that you wish to do business in Singapore. How are finding the city?"

"Well, thank you," Steve replied and the two of them continued to trade pleasantries until the first course. Steve barely noticed what he was eating as he focused on maintaining his persona of a rich businessman. He made it through the most meal in one piece and as they ate their dessert, Tang pulled up out a piece of paper and slid it across the table.

"This is the list companies you requested. I feel that these three would best fit your needs for quality and cost." As Tang talked over some of the generalities of some of the companies he discretely tapped one of the names on the page.

Steve knew that the companies listed where those that were the most likely to be involved in illegal activity and he suspected that the one Tang had pointed out was their most likely culprit. "I would like to set a meeting with each to further discuss my company's specific needs."

"I can certainly do that for you, Mr. Lorden. However, may I make a suggestion?"

"Of course."

"I find it helpful to inspect the docks of a company before they know that you are a prospective client. It gives you something to compare against when they escort you later on the official tour."

Steve smiled. "I agree."

"Good. I have already rented a boat for the task." Tang stated and then requested the bill. Once the tab was settled the two men left the restaurant and made their way to the docks where Tang's boat was waiting.

Once they were in the boat and out on the water where the sound of the engine running masked their conversation, Steve spoke up, "When we're in private call me Steve."

Tang nodded. "I am Yi to my friends."

Leaning back in his seat, Steve watched Yi steer. "So the Pacific Sun Company?"

"It is owned by a man called Da Shu or in your tongue, the rat."

"Hence your note," Steve reasoned.

"Correct. The company is new but they have a lot of capital, are selective about those they hire, are very secretive about their cargo, and have a gang of thugs guarding it all."

"Do you have firmer proof?"

"Money trail of bribes to the police guarding the docks."

_Singapore's finest_, Steve thought to himself as he remembered the trouble he had with a corrupt inspector the last time he was in Singapore.

"Da Shu is still setting up and he's looking for clients so you should be able to hire them for a good rate."

"And we'll have a schedule of when they ship their goads," Steve added, liking Yi's plan so far, though he did see one hole in the reasoning. "If Da Shu has as much capitol as you say, why does he need clients? He could buy his own cargo."

"It may be risky but it provides better cover and grants him legitimacy to be hauling goods for real companies."

Steve saw Yi's point as looked out over the water as the boat drew closer to a commercial dock.

"Pacific Sun operates out of this dock and rents the three warehouses to the left of where that ship is docked."

Steve studied the area that Yi pointed out: the dock was busy and he thought he could identify a couple of guards even though they were a good distance out. Steve turned back to say something to Yi when he spotted another boat coming up behind them. "Yi…" Steve began when a man in the other boat pointed a gun straight at him. "Down!"

Diving towards the helm, Steve pushed Yi out of way, gunned the engine of their small powerboat, and took off across the harbor. The unmistakable sound of gunshot followed a second later.

"How did…?" Yi stammered.

Steve didn't answer and instead focused on steering a boat going top speed through a busy harbor. Risking a quick look behind him, Steve saw the other boat right on their tail. He could see three men in the boat but he was unable to make out any details. Turning closer to the shore, the detective figured that he would have a better chance of losing them among the mass of boats rather than heading towards the open ocean. But the sounds of more gunshots confirmed that their pursuers were having no trouble keeping up.

Knowing that he was running out of options, Steve formed a desperate plan in his mind. Once he spotted what he needed, the detective hollered, "Yi, get ready to jump!"

Steve turned the boat sharply so that it headed up the mouth of a river toward the city. He pointed the bow straight at a pillar of an incoming bridge. Then Steve grabbed the arm of his contact and they dove into the water.

The waters rushed all around the two men as they swam fast and deep. Seconds later they were hit by a shockwave from the exploding boat that propelled them even deeper into the water. Once Steve recovered, he gestured towards Yi to show that they should surface behind a docked fishing vessel.

Hidden behind the traditional wooden boat, Steve carefully looked towards the wreck. The other boat was pulled along the remains but the explosion had destroyed almost everything. Treading water as silently as he could, Steve prayed that the men hadn't seen them leap from the boat.

The driver of the boat stood to take a closer look at the wreck and Steve's temper boiled as he recognized Peter Black. Taking another look at the two men with him, they matched the descriptions Danno gave him of his captors. While Steve never enjoyed having people attempt to kill him he didn't like the look of this at all.

The tallest man in the boat took another look at the ruins of the exploded craft and declared just loud enough for Steve to hear, "There's no way they survived that."

"Agreed," Black said. "Let's go before the authorities arrive."

Steve watched Black and his men disappear into the horizon. Only once he was sure that Black wasn't returning did he and Yi climb up onto the dock. The explosion had caused a crowd to gather so the two squeezed their way through the people and disappeared into the side streets and alleys.

Once they were away, Yi reached out and grabbed Steve's arm. "We need to call in, let Kaye know what happened."

"No," Steve declared firmly. Black's presence in the boat bothered him and it stank of government corruption. He wasn't going to risk the possibility that Black had contacts among Kaye's men. "Yi, right now we're dead. Our opponents are convinced we're no longer a threat so we'll have more freedom to investigate."

"But Jonathan…"

"Will understand," Steve finished. While he firmly believed that Kaye would support his reasoning, Steve was more worried about others who might never forgive him if he faked his death but he had made a living out making the difficult choice.

This case demanded that Steve make the hardest one yet.

Yi considered Steve's point before conceding. "We're dead but without support this job will be harder."

"I know," Steve stated, "but we have no choice."

Yi smiled his first smile since Steve met him. "Lucky for you, I have a place that no one knows about that we can use. Come."

* * *

><p>It was his third day back in the office and Danny was already wishing he could take a vacation. Between worrying about the FBI, dealing with the aftermath of Steve's stubbornness and the bane of every cops existence, paperwork, Danny felt like he had been working for a week straight with no sleep. It was all they could do to continue their investigation into the brothels in Chinatown.<p>

Thank goodness they had no other active investigations.

Just as that thought ended, the phone rang on Steve's private line making Danny hope that he that he hadn't just jinxed himself. "Williams."

"Danny, Jonathan Kaye."

Taking the opportunity to stretch his tired legs, Danny stood and walked around to the side of the Steve's desk. "Aloha, Jonathan. Do you have news of Steve?"

"Yes," Jonathan said, his voice immediately indicating that this wasn't a courtesy call.

Worry crept in Danny voice as he replied, "What's wrong?"

"I regret to inform you that Steve McGarrett is dead."

Danny blinked; he couldn't have just heard what he thought he had. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Danny, but Steve is dead."

Dead. This wasn't possible. This wasn't real. Danny's brain couldn't comprehend what Jonathan was trying to tell him.

Kaye took Danny's silence as invitation to explain and started speaking, "There was wreck. They were in a high speed chase and crashed their boat into a pillar. The boat exploded but we have no doubt that Steve and his local contact were aboard."

Somehow the details broke through the haze in Danny's mind as the detective recognized that there was something he should be saying but he wasn't sure what. Finally, he managed to croak out, "Steve's family?"

"We've already contacted his sister and she has requested privacy."

"Of course," Danny mumbled. "Have you caught the guys who killed him?"

"No," Jonathan answered regretfully. "But I have my best men on it."

Direction suddenly filled Danny as he now knew what he needed to do. "I'll meet them there."

"No, Danny. I need you in Hawaii. Steve and I considered that this was just a plot to get him out of Hawaii and if that is so we need you and the rest of Five-O to be on high alert just in case," Jonathan stated strongly, his voice allowing for no dissention. Then suddenly the old spy's tone of voice turned sympathetic. "Steve believed that you could do this. We need someone we can trust in Hawaii."

As much as it hurt Danny to admit it, Jonathan was right: Five-O couldn't run itself with another man down and they needed to be sharp if someone was trying to move into Hawaii. As second-in-command, Five-O would be Danny's team now and it was his duty to make sure the people of Hawaii were protected first. Still that couldn't stop Danny from being overcome by feelings of betrayal as he chose duty over friendship. "I'll stay in Oahu but keep me informed, Jonathan."

"I promise and, Danny, I truly am sorry for your loss."

No longer sure that he could keep himself together if he continued to listen to Kaye's platitudes, Danny ended the conversation. When he hung up the phone, Danny was struck immediately by a sense of emptiness.

Danny looked over at Steve's desk and chair. While Steve had been gone, he had sat in there without a second thought, knowing that he was holding the spot until Steve returned. Now, looking at that chair the reality that Steve wasn't coming back hit him like a sledgehammer to the gut.

Steve McGarrett was dead.

Who was he to think that he could take his place?

Feelings of grief, of pain, of guilt swirled around the young detective's mind until he could barely stand, let alone think. Steve McGarrett – his boss, his friend, his mentor – was dead.

Why had Danny let him go?

Leaning forward so that the palms of his hands rested on Steve's desk, Danny desperately tried to hold back the sobs threatening to overtake him.

Steve never should have left. Danny wouldn't be shocked to learn that this mess was nothing other than a plot to get Steve to a location where his enemies could…

Steve was dead.

This couldn't be happening.

Steve never should have left. Danny had told him not to go but Steve didn't listen, he never listened, and now…

How right could one be?

Unable to contain the rage that was boiling up inside him, Danny lifted his hands and then slammed his fists back down on the desk hard enough that a sound echoed through the room and a few papers flew slightly in the air. How could Steve done this to him? Didn't Steve think about what his death would do to the young second-in-command he had left behind?

The noise of Danny's fists hitting the desk must have traveled, because the sound of hurried footsteps broke through his thoughts as the door to the office opened and Jenny came swiftly into the room. "Danny," Jenny called out to no answer. "Danny, what's wrong?"

Hunched over, barely able to stand, face full of pain, Danny could only imagine what he must have looked like. Another stab of guilt hit him at that moment; as second-in-command it was his job to be the strong one, the one in control. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he fell apart.

Slowly, Danny took two deep breaths to calm himself. Once he felt like he could fake feeling in control, he stood up straight and ordered softly, "Call the governor. I need to see him as soon as possible. Then I need to meet with you, Chin, and Kono."

Concerned and confused, Jenny looked like she wanted to say something but always the professional she moved to fulfill Danny's orders.

Jenny must have moved faster than she ever had before because less than three minutes later the rest of the team was gathered in the office as Jenny closed the door behind them, stating briskly, "The Governor can meet in twenty minutes."

Danny nodded to show that he heard. Looking briefly at Steve's chair, he knew that he should take it but he also knew that he couldn't. Moving so that he was in front of the large desk, Danny sat down in the reminding white chair noticing that the room was deathly silent.

Mouth dry, Danny stalled for time by looking at the face of each of his co-workers and closest friends in as he tried to figure out how to articulate the hardest words he would ever have to say. Unwelcome tears formed in his eyes when he finally spoke, "Jonathan called. Steve died in Singapore today."

The next few seconds seemed like an eternity as no one spoke and no one even breathed.

The silence was broken by an inhuman cry that escaped Jenny's lips as the news hit home. Chin reached out and placed one arm around Jenny's shaking body but no tears came even though the Chinese detective looked liked he had aged twenty years upon hearing the news. Kono jumped up, anger etched across his face. The big Hawaiian started to walk away before suddenly turning back to Danny. "How?" he demanded, his voice full of the pain that they all felt.

"Boat crash. Steve and his contact lost control during a chase and hit a pillar."

"That…" Kono's curse was lost in a string of Hawaiian words that Danny was unable to translate.

"We told him it was a trap," Chin whispered, "but he was too stubborn to listen."

Kono started pacing, his body language showing that he would rather be any place but here. Danny knew he should say something but what could one say when their whole world had just come crashing down around them?

"What do we do?"

Danny looked up and was surprised to see those words escape Kono's lips as the detective was teetering on the edge of erupting in rage or breaking down in tears. As Kono looked desperately to him for an answer, Danny realized that he had a duty to Kono, Chin, and Jenny now. They needed him to the one they could lean on. This was his team now and he had to take charge or everything that Steve had ever worked for would be destroyed. Privately cursing Steve for leaving him in this predicament, Danny spoke the words he knew his men needed to hear. "We all swore an oath to serve and protect the people of Hawaii; so we will do the only thing we can do: our duty."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Resolve**

_The weight of the job before him was large but Danny had no choice but to push through his fear and his doubt to begin the task. There was only one person who was capable of saving the lives of every person about this ship and his name was Dan Williams. It didn't matter that he was inexperienced, it didn't matter that he was unsure, the only thing that mattered was that other people were depending on him to disarm this bomb._

_Danny hadn't given up when Steve was killed, he hadn't given up when he lost his job, and there was no way that he was giving up now._

_After studying the wires, Danny figured out his first move and began._

* * *

><p>It was a solemn morning in the Kelly household. Breakfast, normally a lively affair, was devoid of conversation as the only sounds were the clicking of silverware as the children ate and the radio playing in the background. Chin's children had all liked Steve and had taken the news hard.<p>

Lin Kelly walked over to her husband and gently rubbed his back with one hand as she set a cup of tea in front of him. "Drink."

Knowing better than to disobey, Chin raised the cup to his lips and took a sip and allowed the warm liquid sooth his grief-riddled emotions. The radio continued playing in the background until the mention of a familiar name caused him to focus on the morning news.

"The death of Steve McGarrett, head of Hawaii Five-O, means that Hawaii has suffered the loss of a good man and dedicated servant of the law. However, concerns have been voiced about the direction of Five-O now that McGarrett is dead. Dan Williams is Five-O's Second-In-Command but the young man has only been a cop for ten years and lacks the international experience that made McGarrett so effective in many of his cases. One wonders if Hawaii would be better served if another man was found to take McGarrett's place?"

The rest of the report was cut off when Lin swiftly walked over to radio and turned it off. Looking sternly at her husband, she said, "You shouldn't listen; it makes you angry."

"Lin," Chin replied softly, "I know what everyone is saying."

It had been three days since Chin learned of Steve's death, two since the news had broken to the public. The reactions of politicians and public officials started pouring in almost immediately. Most expressed sorrow over Steve's loss, a few faked the required condolences while barely containing their joy that McGarrett was gone, others openly questioned what the head of Hawaii's state police was doing in Singapore, and all expressed doubts about the thirty-four year old man who was supposed to take his place.

The bad news just kept rolling in and Chin couldn't even escape it in the comfort of his own home.

Dreading heading to work, Chin knew that regardless of what new troubles the day brought Five-O needed to face as a team; for each member relied on the others for more than ever before. Filled with resolve, he drank the last of his tea and prepared to leave. "I love you," Chin said as he gave his wife a kiss on the cheek.

Waving goodbye to his children, Chin started heading for the door when Tilda ran forward for a hug. "Bye, Daddy!"

Looking at the bright smile on his youngest child, Chin believed that things would get better in time. They had to. There was only so much strain Five-O could take before it would break.

* * *

><p>Danny had lost track of the number of times he had met with the Governor over the past three days as they dealt with the aftermath of Steve's death and were forced to put their mutual concern for the protection of the state of Hawaii before their own grief.<p>

Governor Jameson looked worn as he invited Danny to take a seat, his voice was full of kindness as he explained, "Danny, I'm sorry but I can't appoint you head of Five-O."

It took several moments for Danny to comprehend what the Governor was saying. "Sir, this was never something that I sought but I was trained for this position just in case something happened."

"I know," Jameson sighed as leaned back in his chair. "Politics is an ugly thing. You have shown yourself to be very capable but there are loud voices out there that are convincing the public that you are too young and inexperienced."

"I'm older than…" Danny stumbled as a lump formed in his throat. "…than Steve was when he formed this unit."

"You don't have Steve's international experience," Jameson explained softly.

"Sir, you never cared about public pressure with Steve before…" Danny's voice trailed off as a thought struck him. "This isn't about public pressure, is it?"

"No," the Governor admitted, "I'm getting a lot of pressure from the government to appoint someone else. Five-O has always had jurisdiction over any crime committed in this state. Government agencies have always had to work with Five-O."

"And now they're threatening to end that," Danny stated.

"Yes."

Even though it tore him up inside to say it, Danny hide his pain as he resigned himself to the inevitable. "I understand."

"Danny, I'm sorry." The Governor truly looked like he meant it, that he regretted the decision that duty required him to make.

Danny stood and shook Jameson's hand and started to walk from the room but when he stopped when a thought struck him. "One of the government agencies wouldn't happen to be the FBI would it?"

"Yes, but they weren't the only ones."

Knowing that he was in danger of losing control of his emotions, Danny gritted his teeth as he said, "Sir, it was the actions of the FBI that led to Steve going overseas; I just hope that we aren't making a bigger mistake by listening to them again." With those words spoken, Danny quickly fled from the room before he lost all semblance of self-control and proved that everything his opponents were saying about him was true.

* * *

><p><em>Life is different when you were are a walking dead man<em>, Steve thought to himself as he waited alone in a dingy room for Tang Yi to return. Steve hated hiding while another risked his life but there was no denying that his Caucasian features would stand out while Yi would be able to blend into the crowd. Hopefully, the man would be able to find the elements of the disguise that Steve wanted so he could stop hiding and start doing the job he came to Singapore to do.

Even in death, Steve McGarrett was not a patient man.

The good news was waiting gave Steve plenty of time to work on growing a beard. The bad news was it gave too much time to think. Time to think about the decisions he made and the men he had left back in Hawaii and a sister who would be devastated by the news of his death, time to think about whether he had made the right decision.

So Steve tried his hardest not to think. Instead, he passed the time the by creating a persona and back-story that he hoped would be strong enough to give him access to harbor. Luckily, there was an option for a man without papers stranded in a foreign city that should fit his needs. All Steve needed was for Yi to give him the name of a recently departed ship with no plans to return to Singapore in the immediate future and he could claim that he was a sailor who had a little too much fun on his shore leave and when he sobered up he found that his ship had moved on to another port. Stranded in Singapore, Steve would be desperate to find work so that he could scrape up the money to return home.

The sound of the front door opening jolted Steve out of his thoughts as he wished he hadn't lost his gun during his swim in the harbor. Yi stepped into the apartment, alleviating the detective's nerves, and threw him a pile a clothes.

Looking over the mess in his hands, Steve discovered a rumpled sailor's outfit that stank of stale beer. While his nose protested, his mind knew that this was exactly what he had asked for. Looking up at the tired man, Steve asked, "What've you got?"

Yi sat down in a moth-eaten couch and sighed. "Before we do this I must know: how well do you know ships?"

"Fifteen years in the U.S. navy."

Satisfied, Yi stated, "There was an American registered ship called the _Ploion_ that left port four days ago. They only landed in Singapore due to bad weather up north as this port is not part of their normal route. As for a job, two piers over from where Pacific Sun operates there're hiring cargo loaders."

"That will do."

Yi raised an eyebrow. "It will be hard labor."

Picking up his new old clothes, Steve joked as he headed toward the bathroom to change, "The day this job gets easy is the day I retire."

* * *

><p>Kono looked worriedly at Danny's cubicle where his friend was working returned from the Governor's office. After informing the team of the Governor's decision, Danny had shrugged off all attempts by his co-workers at conversation. It pained Kono to see just how much his friend was hurting.<p>

"Dis isn't right."

Chin looked up from his desk and Kono realized that he had spoken those words aloud. The older man looked sympathetic as he replied, "We can't change it, Kono."

No they couldn't. Chin was right; they were powerless. Powerless to stop Steve's death, powerless to give Danny the position he deserved. They had warning of both traps but had chosen to carry on as normal to the detriment of the entire team.

Kono was beginning to think that Five-O would die with its founder.

"Don't," Chin ordered.

"What?"

"Give up. I want to too but we can't. We owe Steve that much."

"Da Boss didn't think 'bout us when he got himself killed! Why should care 'bout him?" Kono cried.

As the shouted words echoed around the office, Kono simmered with anger. This was all the Boss's fault. If only Steve had listened to his men, he would have never gone to Singapore and none of this would be happening. The injustice of the whole situation rankled the Hawaiian. Why should they have to suffer the consequences of Steve's mistake?

Chin looked as he was struggling to come up with a response when the two detectives' conservation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Turning, Kono saw the third member of their team.

Standing in the open doorway to Chin's cubicle, Danny stated, "We have a case. An autopsy performed this morning found that a case HPD thought was a suicide is a murder and they want our help. Kono, I want you to come with me to check out the body."

Realizing that Danny's professional manner was giving him an opportunity to focus his anger into something productive, Kono replied, "Will do."

"Chin, keep digging at the Jane Doe deaths; someone in Chinatown has to know something. My gut is telling they are connected to something big and the sooner we find out the better."

Chin stood and walked over to the younger man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Danny, I'm sorry. For Steve and for you not being chosen to replace him.

"So am I, Chin," Danny whispered. Then, looking determined, he declared, "We are still Five-O, regardless of who leads us. We _will _continue on."

Ashamed of his outburst, Kono nodded. No matter what happened they were still ohana.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Puzzled **

_Danny quickly immersed himself in the wires as he attempted to figure out the tangled mess in front of him. The operation was delicate and the person who had built this bomb had purposely added trick wires and traps to guard against disarmament._

_Lost in the mess of wires, Danny pondered his situation as he searched for the path that would defuse the situation._

* * *

><p>Head in her hands, Jenny Sherman silently willed the phone on her desk to stop ringing. When a third shrill ring followed the first two, the frustrated secretary resigned herself to answering the phone. "Hawaii Five-O," Jenny said, her usual perkiness absent from her voice.<p>

"Russell Smith from the Honolulu Advertiser…"

Before Smith could get another word in Jenny quickly cut in. "Five-O isn't currently giving any interviews nor do we have any information to release at this time."

"If you could put Williams on the phone…"

"Williams is unavailable. Aloha." Jenny slammed down the phone a little harder than she intended causing the aforementioned detective to arch an eyebrow in a questioning look as he placed a report on her desk. "The paper."

"Again?" Danny asked

Jenny nodded. "It's not just them. The media all want an update or your opinion of being quote 'passed over for the top job.' They have forgotten that a couple days ago were the loudest voices clamoring for you not to get the job?"

Danny shrugged. "They just want a juicy story, that's all."

"You think they could give us a few days of peace considering all that's happened," Jenny muttered.

"Not with the new boss flying in today they won't."

Sighing, Jenny looked the finalized report as Danny returned to his desk. She could hardly believe the pace everything had moved every since Danny had returned from the mainland. Steve's death…

Jenny forced back a lump in her throat. She had already shed her tears and the last thing her boys needed was a hysterical secretary to deal with. She was a professional and would continue to do her job even though the media was making things difficult. She needed to put McGarrett behind her and focus on preparing for the new boss's arrival.

The new boss was a man by the name of Alexander Zar. The official word was that he over twenty years experience with Atlanta Police Department as a detective, serving as the second-in-command of the department for the past seven years. The news on the coconut wireless was that he came highly recommended to the Governor from colleagues on the mainland.

In Jenny's opinion, Zar on paper looked to be a safe choice but she wondered how he would fit in with such a close knit unit. Chin had been a part of Five-O all thirteen years of its existence, Kono came on ten years ago, and Danny six and a half. That meant that is was a very long time since Five-O had experienced any turnover. Regardless of how good Zar turned out to be, this was going to continue to be a difficult time for all of them.

The front office door opened and Chin swept into the room. "I got a break."

Danny and Kono emerged from their cubicles as Chin explained, "One of my snitches paid off. The Jane Does are all tags."

Danny nodded to show that he heard; the knowledge that the dead girls were prostitutes only confirmed his suspicions.

"Finally!" Kono exclaimed.

Chin shot Kono an exasperated look. "I had to promise him a ticket to the mainland to get him to talk. There's a lot of pressure on people to be quiet right now."

"What did he say?" Danny asked.

"That he overheard two pimps complaining about the quality of the merchandise, saying they're getting too many fighters."

"Brothels or streets?"

"Brothels."

"Did you get an identity of the pimps?"

"No. He said it was too dark to see."

Danny nodded. "It's a start. You and Kono meet with HPD and get together all the information we have on known brothels in Chinatown. Let's see if we can figure out who's currently buying before another girl is murdered."

Watching, Danny, Chin, and Kono work their way through a case gave Jenny hope that Five-O would continue on. She hated to interrupt their discussion but the time showed that Danny needed to leave now if he wanted to meet Zar at the airport. "Danny, it's time."

Instantly, Danny's body language changed as the ease in which he addressed his co-workers disappeared and a mix of worry, pain, and responsibility crept into his face. "Wish me luck."

A loud ringing caused Jenny to miss any replies as she grabbed the phone and promised herself that she wouldn't snap at the reporter she was sure was on the other end of the line. However, the identity of the caller was a surprise but Jenny's joy at hearing the voice of Ben Kokua disappeared as he gave her a message.

Danny was halfway out the door when Jenny stood up and hollered, "Danny, wait! HPD found a body of a teenage girl in an alley. She's Chinese and has needle marks in her arm."

The detective quickly re-entered the room. "Do you have the address?"

"Here," Jenny replied as she headed Danny a piece of paper.

"Chin, Kono, let's go," Danny ordered as he headed back towards the open door.

Jenny hurried after the detectives. "What about Zar? He's expecting you to meet him at the airport."

Danny thought things over for a few moments before deciding. "Radio Duke Lukela and ask him to cover for me. He can explain what happened and if Zar is as experienced as they say he is he'll understand."

* * *

><p>Steve made his way up the gangplank of a cargo ship with a heavy and large box in his arms, muscles that he hadn't know existed ached from the hard labor. Steve knew that he was going to sleep soundly tonight.<p>

Or as soundly as he could in foreign city with danger all around him.

Once Steve reached the cargo hold, he passed his load off to another worker and headed back for another box. He was on his third day of work and it was every bit as hard labor as Yi promised. Steve would just have to tough it out, because this position was already starting to pay off.

Steve was still surprised at the ease in which he had gotten the job as a cargo loader. His story was accepted with only a few questions and he was firmly told if he was found drunk on the job he'd find himself without work before being told to start the next day. His co-workers, once they saw that he could handle the work, accepted John Francis as one of them without comment.

That was probably the hardest part of this undercover position. Steve didn't think it was wise to continue to use his first name as there couldn't be too many Caucasians named Steve in Singapore so he introduced himself by his middle name, John, and hoped that he wouldn't forget who he was supposed to be.

Stepping out onto the dock, Steve around and silently took note of the people around him. It wasn't odd for the dock to be full of people but it was odd that there were a decent number of people idling around. These men screamed thugs to Steve's cop-trained mind and since they weren't molesting the passersby, he figured that they were guarding something, but what was the question.

One step at time. That was the benefit of being dead; no one was expecting to hear from him so Steve could take as long as he needed too to find the answers he wanted. And this time no one was going to get in his way.

* * *

><p>The scene was not one that would ever end up on a postcard: a dingy alley covered in trash, used needles, and the body of a teenage girl.<p>

Officer Ben Kokua, a detective for HPD, stood beside Danny and reported in. "The victim has no identification. We found a needle with heroin in it next to the body. Doc says she died something last night and the preliminary cause of death is an overdose." Then closing his notebook, Ben added, "Just like the others."

Danny nodded to show that he heard his friend and then stepped carefully to try and avoid the worst of the filth as he knelt beside the body and looked at the girl. She was young, too young, and as thin as a rail, wearing only in a thin cotton dress. A single glance at her left arm was all Danny needed to find the spot where the drug that had taken her life had entered the body.

"Only one mark," Chin noted as he and Kono joined the kneeling detective.

"Four girls dead under identical circumstances is too many for everyone to be an accidental overdose," Danny mused as he also found the lack of other needle marks suspicious. "These girls either meant to end their own lives or someone helped them do it."

"Doesn't matter," Kono declared, "it's still murder."

Personally, Danny agreed. Even if the girls had taken their own lives it was as a result of those who exploited them and made their lives into such a living hell that death would have seemed like the only way out. The law, however, wouldn't see it that way. But if they could connect these girls with the pimps and the people who supplied them there were other charges they could bring against the perps.

Rising to his feet, Danny took charge of the scene. "We'll have to see what Doc says. He should be able to tell exactly how she died and possibly give us a clue as to where she came from. Kono, work with the lab boys; I want to know if there was anyone else in this alley last night and if there are any signs of a struggle. Chin, canvass the neighborhood; see if anyone heard or something. I doubt they'll say anything but it's worth a shot."

As Chin and Kono went off to begin their tasks, Danny took another look at the body. He was about to the call the attendants to take the body away when mark on the girl's right ankle caught his attention. Looking closer, Danny could tell that it was a small tattoo of a rat, an odd choice for a teenage girl but, more importantly, a disturbing choice for what it possibly implied.

Emotions that Danny had under sharp control threatened to break loose as the detective made a connection that, if could be supported by further evidence, would completely change everything he thought he knew about this case.

"Excuse me, let me through," a loud voice boomed from behind the police barrier.

Danny turned, placed on hand on his .38 and moved to intercept the man who was intruding on his crime scene but before Danny could speak Duke stepped forward and said, "Danny, this is Alexander Zar. When I told him that Five-O was called out to case he insisted on coming out to meet you. Mr. Zar, this is Dan Williams."

Instantly Danny's demeanor changed as he reached out to shake Zar's hand while studying the man who Governor Jameson picked to be the head of Five-O. Zar was only slightly taller than Danny but with Kono's build and bulk. He had brown hair that was starting to bald and a thick mustache. His eyes had a perceiving quality to them and Danny knew that the man was also studying him. From look of his eyes to the way he carried his weight, Danny could tell that Zar was an experienced cop. "Good to meet you, Sir."

Letting go of Danny's hand, Zar quickly surveyed the scene. "What's going on?"

Danny quickly repeated the report that Ben had given him earlier. Zar's face was emotionless as he asked, "Why was Five-O called in?"

"There been a string of suspicious deaths of Chinese teenage girls dying in circumstances identical to this one.

Zar didn't look impressed. "When I has hired I was told that Five-O focused only on the most serious cases which in most units would not include investigating a prostitute who overdosed herself on drugs."

All too aware that the nearby HPD officers were listening in and that coconut wireless would have word of a disagreement with the new boss spread across the entire force in a matter of minutes, Danny lowered his voice and tried to convince the boss of the importance of them taking this case. "Sir, there is a strong possibility that this girl was murdered."

"Five-O doesn't need to be wasting time on a whore," Zar stated in a normal tone of voice, seemingly oblivious to Danny's desire to keep the conversation private. "Our attention should be on bringing in the crime lords who run the prostitution rings."

Desperate, Danny knew he couldn't back down, not after the connection he had just made. "Sir, I'll explain more later but it is imperative that Five-O take this case.

Shaking his head, Zar remained firm. "I don't see the need of it. Come with me back to the office and bring me up to date on your pertinent cases."

Not believing the words coming out of Zar's mouth, Danny had to force down a wave of anger as he said, "No."

Zar looked taken aback at Danny's reply. "That was an order, Williams."

"Until you are sworn in you don't have the authority to stop me," Danny shot back, no longer caring what anyone else heard.

Shocked but also armed with the knowledge that Danny was right, Zar simply turned and walked briskly out of the alley. As Zar stormed away, Danny shot a desperate glance at Duke for the older man to make sure that Zar was taken wherever he needed to go. He would deal with the consequences of their disagreement later.

Ignoring the glances HPD was sending his way, Danny gestured for Ben, Chin, and Kono to join him. "We need to move quickly. There are things I'd like to know before we're ordered off the case."

"Danny, I'm not sure this is wise," Ben stated. "He's your boss; you're going to have to work with him. Do really want to start off by using technicalities to disobey him?"

"Wait," Danny hollered to the attendants where about the load the body into the wagon. Then Danny pulled off the sheet and directed his friends' attention to the body. "Look her left ankle."

"It's a rat," Kono said.

When neither Kono nor Chin commented further, Danny said softly, "The rat threatens the lion."

"It can't be," Chin whispered as Kono's face paled and Ben looked even more confused.

"Those words were what convinced Steve that he needed to go to the Lion City and find the rat," Danny explained. "Our Jane Doe could be directly connected to what Steve was investigating in Singapore when he died."

"That's a big leap of logic," Ben argued.

"Both Kaye and Black mentioned that a new smuggling operation was being set up. If this same tattoo is on the other bodies then I think we know that this wasn't just some made up plot to get Steve to a place where he could be killed; we're dealing with human trafficking operation."

"Can we convince Zar of dat?"

"I don't know, Kono," Danny answered truthfully. "I hope so. Ben, if not I will need you to officially take over this case."

"Of course."

There was nothing more to say. Everyone understood the consequences of what had just happened and every one of them was willing to take the risk if it brought them one step closer to understanding why Steve had died. So the detectives worked quickly and effectively until they got a call to report back to the office; Alexander Zar had just been sworn in as the head of Hawaii Five-O.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Tension**

_As Danny's fingers deftly moved amongst the wires the pressure to disarm the bomb quickly mounted. Grabbing the wire cutters, Danny cut three wires and then considered the next step as he took a moment to wipe the sweat from his brow. He knew that he needed to identify solutions and act; the last thing he could afford to do was second guess his decisions. There were enough other people who doubted him and his abilities, who believed that he was not the man for the job._

_But in the end, the pressure to overcome those doubts and affirm the trust that others had put on him was nothing compared the pressure Danny placed upon himself. He had to disarm this bomb, because if he failed innocent people would die._

* * *

><p>There had been days when being in the office was long and tiring, days when there seemed like there was never enough time to get things done, and even days when he had seriously wondered if he would even make it out of the office alive. But never in Chin Ho Kelly's thirteen years of working for Five-O had there ever been days when he was uncomfortable going to the office because of the tension caused by the people working there.<p>

Chin was normally a very easy going man but he was getting very close to storming into the governor's office and screaming at the man who responsible for appointing Alexander Zar as the head of Five-O. Three days had passed since Zar had arrived; three long days in which the head of Five-O continued to refuse to even hear reasons why they should take on that case of the Chinese Jane Does. HPD was directed to take over and Danny, Chin and Kono were forbidden from even discussing the case with one another.

But none of them could let this case go.

Kono spent all his time working on tasks that Zar assigned to cover for the fact that Chin and Danny weren't always following his explicit directions. Chin continued to work through his contacts in Chinatown while Danny stayed in contact with Ben Kokua, who was officially in charge of the investigation, feeding Ben any new information they received while keeping up to date with what HPD found. Chin managed to investigate in-between his normal work but Zar was suspicious of Danny and kept him so busy that Danny had to work the case in his time off.

Both Kono and Chin were worried about Danny, but they also knew that nothing was going to stop him from discovering the truth. Chin admired that quality in his friend while wishing that Danny would realize that after a while no amount of coffee was going to make up for all the sleep he was missing.

The phone on his desk rang and Chin received a break that they all desperately needed. One of his most reliable informants received information about a printer who had been approached about forging immigration paperwork for Chinese immigrants six weeks ago.

Writing down the relevant information, Chin passed the note to a weary looking Danny Williams who quietly grabbed it before heading out the door. There was no doubt in Chin's mind that Danny was leaving on another task from the boss that served little purpose other keeping the detective busy. Chin understood what the boss was doing, that the boss was establishing his authority over his team, but it didn't change the fact that it was a waste of Danny's talents to be giving him busy work. He and Kono handled most of that stuff or they got HPD to do it but there was no point in telling the boss that.

Chin heard the door to what he still considered Steve's office open and close and looked up to see Kono walk into his cubicle.

"Bruddah, we got problems," Kono whispered as he sat down in a chair across from Chin.

Chin gave the Hawaiian detective a look that dared to say something worse than what they were already dealing with.

"Da boss wants us crack down on all the major crime bosses in town, including da Vashons."

"How does he expect us to do that?"

"Bust out games, arrest their men, try and shut them down."

Puzzled, Chin countered, "That will disrupt their operations, maybe even make them shut down for a period of time but we will never catch the men running those operations if we work that way."

"I told da Boss dat but he didn't listen."

Chin shook his head in disgust. Was Zar incompetent? He couldn't believe that Zar came as highly recommended as he did if this was how he normally worked. Knowing that Kono was looking to him for guidance, Chin replied in resigned tone of voice. "Then we do what he says and maybe once he sees that his methods aren't working he'll start listening to us."

At least that's what they could hope.

* * *

><p>Worn-out and stretched to the limit, Dan Williams had long passed the point of being effective and simply sat in his car, stared at the house in front of him without really seeing it, and waited for the sun to rise. He was supposed to watching the home of a mob boss because his boss had a hunch that the man met with his unidentified partner in the middle of the night. It was job that Danny considered to be absolute waste of time but, with Zar still smarting over their meeting, he knew better than to protest.<p>

Besides, the alternate was to admit that the reason Danny didn't want to stay up all night on a stakeout was because he was exhausted from working a case behind his boss's back in addition to Five-O's regular caseload. The whole situation was absurd and Danny was beginning to think that none of this would have happened if he hadn't disappeared to mainland for six weeks.

When it neared six in the morning the rays of the sun began to peak over the horizon and Danny forced himself to wake up. Technically, he had the morning off to sleep but since he figured his body could last another twelve hours before crashing he had already set up a meeting with a few of his fellow co-conspirators at the county morgue.

After informing Central that he was leaving his post, Danny started the car and set off in search of a decent cup of coffee. His search was successful and, an hour later, Danny walked into the morgue with his third cup of coffee in hand.

"You look terrible," the crusty coroner stated without any preamble.

"Good morning to you too, Doc," Danny replied.

Looking around the room, Danny caught Ben Kokua holding back a snicker while Che Fong shook his head. Bergman, however, wasn't backing down. "When's the last time you had a decent night's sleep?"

Realizing that this would be over quicker if he cooperated, Danny answered truthfully, "Not since Steve died."

"Figures. Are you trying to follow him to the grave?"

Holding up his hands in surrender, Danny promised, "Once this case is over, I'll sleep as much as you want me to."

A snort told Danny how much Bergman believed that but the coroner got the hint and turned his attention to the case at hand. "I personally performed the autopsy on the girl."

"And?" Danny prompted

"Cause of death is overdose from heroin but I did find some faint bruising on arms and elsewhere on the body."

"So she might have been held down?"

"Possibly," Bergman said. "I was able to place her age at fifteen and confirm that she had intercourse repeatedly before she died."

"Lending more evidence to our theory that she is a prostitute," Ben added. "So it possible that the bruises could have come from a customer or her pimp, not because someone killed her."

"I know it's a long shot to get a murder charge to stick," Danny admitted. "But if someone is dealing in underage girls we need to put a stop to it."

"She had dental work done so I was able to confirm that she is Chinese. Also, while her body shows signs of malnourishment, it's only recent." Bergman voice went serious as he spoke softly, "I think she came from a home where she was taken care of before she ended up in an alley in Honolulu."

Danny felt sick and Che's and Ben's faces showed that he wasn't alone. "How did a girl whose family cared enough to take her to the dentist end up sold as a sex slave?" Ben asked incredulously.

Danny was thinking the same thing but he had learned a bit about human smuggling when he worked with the Coast Guard and shared the information. "She could have been tricked. Some slavers promise the girls that they are taking them to jobs in America, mostly as housekeepers or nannies, and the girls don't learn the truth until it's too late. You get a girl in a foreign country where she doesn't know the language and she won't have anywhere to go."

"That might explain why they fight back," Ben stated, referring to information Chin had received earlier.

"Disgusting," Bergman declared. "I thought I'd seen it all but…"

Che placed on a comfortable hand on the coroner's shoulder before beginning his report. "I ran her prints but couldn't find them in any system. But I was able to identify the ink used in her tattoo. The artist used a compound that's used by artists located mainly in one city: Singapore."

"Danny, you said the Rat was the guy Steve was investigating in Singapore?" Ben asked.

"Yeah," Danny answered as his brain worked through the implications of his hunch looking like it was correct.

"So the FBI wasn't lying," Ben added.

"Looks like it," Danny admitted. "Steve must have discovered something important and was killed to keep it a secret."

"Humph," Bergman replied. "That doesn't explain or excuse the FBI's methods."

Sensing that Doc was more upset by the events of the past month than he was letting on, Danny couldn't help but wonder what other emotions Bergman's gruff demeanor hid. Knowing that now wasn't the time to push further, Danny changed the subject. "Chin got a name of printer who may have been in contact with the slavers but we haven't been able to check it out yet."

Ben jerked his head toward the door. "What are we waiting on?"

After checking that no one else had any more information to share, Danny asked that official reports be sent to Ben at HPD and followed the HPD detective out the door.

* * *

><p>A commotion on the docks caught the attention of everyone on deck. However, most just shrugged and went back to work but Steve McGarrett walked over to the railing to get to a closer view.<p>

A teenage girl was speaking in rapid Chinese to a few of the workers on the dock and Steve didn't have to understand the language to understand the pleading tone in her voice. Steve started to move towards the ramp when a co-worker, an Englishman named Billy, placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "John, don't."

Steve looked at the man who had shown him the ropes when 'John Francis' started this job. "Do you understand what she's saying?"

The way Billy looked away told Steve that he did and that he didn't want to translate. Steve looked again at the girl; she was young and skinny – too skinny – with long unbound black hair and bare feet. As Steve studied her, the girl turned and looked him in the eyes with gaze so haunting that it made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

A stinking feeling in his stomach told Steve that he have just discovered what Da Shu was smuggling into Hawaii when one of the thugs who had been guarding the next pier over came over and placed a firm hand on the girl's shoulder and took charge of the situation.

Steve glared at Billy and this time he translated. "He's says he's her uncle. They're immigrating to America but the girl is scared and ran off."

"Do you believe that?" Steve asked incredulously.

Billy's eyes reflected feelings of guilt as the cargo loader stated, "John, you seem like a nice guy but sometimes it is better not to ask questions."

Steve didn't answer; he didn't trust the words he would say. For as Steve watched the thug lead the girl away he felt like he was going to be sick. When he had been first told about smuggling operations he would have bet good money that they would be dealing with drugs. Never had he imagined that they would dealing with those who bought and sold human beings. He knew that the human smuggling trade existed but to be confronted with the reality was something entirely different.

Could Steve really be a man who just stood there as he watched a young girl be lead away into slavery?

_It wouldn't help. _Acting now to save the life of one person would do nothing to help the lives of the other girls that Steve now knew where somewhere on that ship. So while Steve might not immediately act he would never be the man who would do nothing at all. He promised to God and the innocents abroad that that ship would never unload its cargo in Honolulu. By the time that ship was ready to leave port, Steve would have a plan to stop it.

When the girl disappeared from Steve's sight, he remembered a report Chin gave right before Steve left Hawaii. Chin was investigating a series of suspicious deaths of Chinese girls and wondered if that investigation could be connected to what Steve was investigating in Singapore. If so, that knowledge gave him hope for it meant that when Steve was ready to reveal his presence, Five-O would be in a good position to stop the slavers.

Until then the girl's eyes would continue to haunt him.

* * *

><p>As Ben Kokua looked over at his friend, he was glad that he had insisted on driving. Bergman wasn't the only one concerned about Danny's health, they all were, and the coconut wireless was full of stories of how Alexander Zar was making the life of his second-in-command difficult. Only yesterday Ben had been approached by a couple of HPD officers about joining a pool that was betting money on when Danny would either quit or be fired. Furious, Ben had given the officers a stern lecture but that didn't the change the fact that the majority of HPD only considered it a matter of time before Danny would no longer be a member of Five-O.<p>

"Turn here," Danny ordered, breaking Ben out of his thoughts.

After following the directions to the shop, Ben asked, "What did Chin say?"

"That this guy's name is Jerry Wong and that six weeks ago he was approached about making some false immigration papers for a large group of Chinese."

That sounded suspicious and was definitely something that they needed to check out. Once parked, Ben followed Danny into the shop and let the Five-O detective take the lead.

Danny walked straight up to a short balding Chinese man. "Mr. Wong. Danny Williams, Hawaii Five-O. My companion is Ben Kokua, HPD."

Wong bowed in welcome. "Can I help you?"

"You were approached six weeks ago about creating false papers for some Chinese immigrants."

"I do not know where you got your information, Mr. Williams, but I do not take illegal jobs."

"For your sake I hope so," Danny said sternly, "because if we find you assisted in a human smuggling operation you would be put away for a long time."

Wong's faced paled. "The man did not say that. He said he had a large family and their request to immigrate to the U.S. had been denied and he needed some papers made up so they could be reunited."

"Did you take the job?" Danny pushed.

"I considered it, I know what it is like to be separated from your family, but after I found out that his family included eighteen nieces I showed him the door."

Ben stepped so that he was standing closer to Wong. "If you were suspicious why didn't call the police?"

"How could have I? If these men sell children do you think they would hesitate to kill me?"

Ben looked at Danny and saw that they both sensed that Wong was telling the truth. "Can you give us a description of this man?" Ben inquired hopefully.

"No. He was a man like any other. I do not remember."

Danny handed Wong a card, "Thank you for your help. If you think of anything please call."

Ben and Danny walked out of the store and took their seats in Ben's car. Ben placed his key in the ignition but didn't turn it on. "Eighteen," he murmured aloud.

"This is bigger than we imagined," Danny agreed.

"How can Zar refuse to take this case?" Ben declared his voice full of disbelief.

Sighing, Danny confessed, "I backed him into a corner. Once he said no the first time, Zar couldn't change his mind without looking weak."

"We can't – you can't – keep working like this."

"We won't," Danny promised. "We're going to go to your office and prepare a report with all the information we got today and when I meet with the boss at noon, I'll ask him to reconsider."

"What makes you think giving him more information will change anything."

"Because Zar is a cop and no cop is going to let a human smuggling operation move in on their watch, regardless of what others think."

Ben nodded and started the car but he couldn't help thinking that Danny gave Zar more credit than he did. However, Ben tried to have some of Danny's optimism and have hope they would all work together to put a stop to the slave trade in Hawaii.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Alone**

_As Danny worked he forgot that Ben was there, behind him, guarding his back. In Danny's world he was alone; it was just him and the wires. Nothing else existed, nothing else mattered. He couldn't afford to focus on anything but the bomb. For his actions, his choices would mean the difference between life and death. _

_This was a task Danny had to accomplish alone._

* * *

><p>"No."<p>

That one word reverberated throughout the Five-O offices as three detectives stared disbelievingly at the man who was supposed to be their leader. The silence didn't last long as Danny, Chin and Kono put too much work into this case to allow Zar to dismiss their work with a single word.

"Sir," Danny pressed, gesturing towards the pile of papers he placed in front of Zar. "I have evidence suggesting that the girl was trafficked into Honolulu."

"I told you to drop the case."

Desperate, Danny pleaded, "This isn't about my ego or proving that I was right. It is about taking steps to stop the human trafficking trade from setting up shop in Hawaii. You didn't have all facts the day we met so I'm presenting them to you now."

Zar was unyielding. "You disobeyed a direct order."

"Sir, Ben Kokua from HPD is in charge of investigation. I chose to assist the investigation in my own time and last time I checked there is no law against using my personal time as I wish."

"Williams, in case you have forgotten, this isn't your team. I decide which cases we investigate and I see no reason for Five-O to investigate the death of a whore."

Placing his palms on the edge of Zar's desk, Danny dropped all pretense of politeness. "Is it so hard to admit that you were wrong?"

Zar swiftly stood and glared at his second-in-command. "Is it so hard for you to follow orders?"

Kono and Chin shared a concerned glance with one another which Danny noticed out of the corner of his eye. He hoped that his friends would stay out of this fight. If there would be any repercussions for this day, Danny would to be the one who bore them.

Leaning forward and matching Zar's glare, Danny stated firmly, "Do you not care that a fourteen year old girl has been sold into prostitution and then murdered right here in Honolulu or have you forgotten that you swore an oath to protect _all _thepeople of Hawaii?"

Zar shrugged off Danny's concerns as he said, "I thought part of the nonsense you were telling me was that the girl was Chinese not American."

Danny stepped backward and bumped into Kono. He hadn't noticed the big detective move. Flabbergasted and disgusted at Zar's arrogance, Danny spat, "I was mistaken. I thought you were egoistical. You are actually incompetent."

Kono grabbed Danny's shoulder and said, "Hikiwale, Bruddah."

Danny tried to take Kono's advice to calm down as he recognized that his temper was dangerously close to the surface but the days of next to no sleep, his unresolved grief over Steve's death, and his frustration at not being trusted to replace to Steve all kept the detective from thinking clearly.

Zar, however, wasn't finished. He turned his ire towards Kono. "Speak English, you worthless pineapple picker!"

Something snapped in Danny's brain and before he knew it both Chin and Kono were forcibility restraining him from slugging his boss. They were not, however, able to restrain his mouth as Danny made it extremely clear to everyone present what he thought of Zar's attitude and capabilities.

Zar however was unfazed as he declared, "Hand over your badge and your weapon. You're fired."

Shaking free of Kono and Chin, Danny grew silent as he looked at a man full of arrogance and hate and decided that as long Five-O was run by Alexander Zar, he didn't want to have anything to do with the unit. The battle was over, and he would leave the field with his dignity and his morals intact. Placing his gun and badge of the edge of the desk, Danny walked away and didn't look back.

* * *

><p>Steve McGarrett was not a patient man. Unable, to remain seated, he paced around the dingy apartment where he spent his nights. Tang Yi was late and Steve was beyond restless. He hated this hiding and this sneaking around. He hated not being able to bark out orders and have them obeyed. Steve was alone in a foreign country where he didn't speak the language, trying to solve a case on his own. The men that he could count on to come to his aid in any situation were out of contact, the resources that he had also depended on were no longer available to him. Steve could gain those things back by making one phone call but if Kaye had a mole in his organization – and Steve believed that he did – than his cover would be blown, the imprisoned girls would disappear, and the Rat would continue smuggling girls through a different port of call.<p>

No, Steve needed to remain dead but that didn't make it any less lonely.

A knock at the door allowed Steve to regain his composure before his contact entered the room. Yi quickly spoke, "I have news; the ship leaves in three days."

* * *

><p>Danny was shaking as he walked down the front steps of Iolani Palace. The last time he had completely lost control like that was when Jane died and that time he almost killed someone. Afterwards, he had tried, unsuccessfully, to resign so it was apt that his temper had gotten him fired.<p>

While apt, it didn't make the reality of being fired any less difficult to deal with. Five-O had been a part of Danny's life for so long that it didn't seem real that this had happened.

If Danny was honest with himself, he knew he had been working on borrowed time ever since he was passed up for the top detective slot. Most people preferred to pick their own seconds. What made it difficult was knowing that Alexander Zar was still in charge. _How such an incompetent arrogant bastard became a cop_, Danny wanted to know. Steve would be rolling in his grave if he could see his beloved unit now! Except they had never found Steve's body; Steve would never have a grave…

Holding back tears, Danny headed in the direction of the Capitol Building. There was one person that he needed to talk to. If there was anyone who could convince Zar of the necessity of taking this human smuggling case, it was the governor. Danny knew it was too late to save his job but if he could get the governor behind what was happening, Five-O would solve the case; Chin and Kono would make sure of it!

Walking to the governor's office, Danny asked the secretary if she could see if the Governor would be willing to meet with him. After checking with her boss, she waved Danny into the office. Once inside Danny noticed that the Governor was not alone; he was meeting with the newly appointed District Attorney, John Manicote.

"Sir, I regret to inform you that…"

The Governor interrupted, "That you were fired fifteen minutes ago on charges of gross insubordination. Zar called me as soon as you left the office."

"I…um…" Caught off guard, Danny was suddenly at a loss for what to say.

Jameson sensed Danny's confusion and ordered, "Sit down."

Once Danny was seated, Jameson continued, "Zar also told me that you would try and convince me that Five-O should take over one of HPD cases

"Sir, I believe that we are dealing with a human smuggling operation and that this organization may have had something to do with Steve's death. Five-O has to investigate!"

"Danny," Jameson said, his voice full of compassion and sorrow. "I know that it is difficult but I need you to understand my position. "To counteract Zar's order would completely undermine his authority in the eyes of HPD and the people of Hawaii."

"Then get rid of him!" Danny declared. "He's already proved that he is incapable of doing his job."

John Manicote spoke up from where he was sitting. "It isn't that easy. If the Governor fires Zar so soon after hiring him he publically admits that he made a mistake in hiring which would give his political opponents a gift-wrapped opportunity to sow seeds of doubt about his judgment."

Danny bit his tongue to hold back a not-kind retort. _Politics!_

Jameson looked weary as he added, "Remember why I hired Zar. There will be pushback from Washington if I do this."

"I won't let this case die," Danny stated firmly.

Manicote shook his head. "You're passion is admirable but you need to understand: there are forces involved beyond the control of this office."

The Governor leaned forward and looked Danny in the eye. "Danny, I acknowledge that this hasn't been an easy couple of weeks for you. You have been an asset to this state and your dedication to your job has saved countless lives. There is an opening in the Kauai Police Department for an Assistant Chief of Investigative Services and if you want the job it's yours."

Danny considered the offer before an unpleasant thought hit him. "KPD is still under Five-O authority."

"How often does Five-O work with KPD?" Manicote countered.

"A couple times a year," Danny admitted. "But Zar would still have the authority to keep me off this case."

"As long as you are a member of Hawaiian law enforcement you are correct," Jameson stated.

Danny paused. There was something about the way Jameson said that last sentence that made him think that there was something else going on here. Jameson and Manicote were both seasoned politicians. Neither of them should have been too surprised by today's events and the job offer made Danny realize that they had planned for this.

Knowing that the Governor was waiting on his decision, Danny knew that while it would hurt long term, he couldn't take the job on Kauai. Being fired opened up an opportunity that was previously denied to him: Danny was now free to go to Singapore and figure out where those girls where coming from and what Steve had discovered that caused someone to kill him. When he thought of it that way, it was no choice. "Thank you for the offer but I must decline."

The Governor stood and reached out a hand. "I'm sorry that it has to end this way."

"Me too," Danny replied as they shook hands.

The Governor pushed a button to connect to his secretary and asked that she bring in the papers. Taking them from her, Jameson handed them to Danny. "The official notice of your termination."

Since saying thank you felt wrong Danny just nodded, took the papers and headed out the door. As he walked back towards the Iolani Palace to collect his things, he realized that the papers felt thicker than they needed to be. Sitting down on a bench outside of the Capitol Building, Danny looked through them.

The first paper was, as Jameson promised, the official notification of termination of employment, but behind it Danny saw a set of plane tickets. Barely believing his eyes, he saw that the tickets were in his name for a series of flights that would take him from Honolulu to Singapore! The first flight was scheduled to leave tomorrow morning, and when he looked at the other tickets he saw that he had an open return ticket that would give him the freedom to stay as long as he needed without having to worry about how he would get back. Then looking at the final sheet of paper he saw that it was a notarized letter stating that Dan Williams had the support of the government of Hawaii to investigate the death of Steve McGarrett.

Danny was floored; he could hardly believe it! _Jameson didn't want me to take the job. He just gave me the option because he needed to know how far I would go to investigate those girls' deaths. _Danny realized that the Governor wanted the same thing he wanted: to get to the bottom of this mess and Jameson had the political savvy to know how to make the best out of a bad situation. Or did he know more than he was letting on? Was Zar just a pawn? And if so, whose?

Danny's head hurt trying to figure it all out.

But as Danny looked at the ticket in his hand he realized that it didn't matter. He was going to Singapore; he had a purpose and a mission and he wasn't going to let anyone get in his way.

* * *

><p>Paul Jameson, a man with a big title and an even bigger weight of responsibility on his shoulders, watched Williams walk out the door and wondered if the young man would ever forgive him for the decisions he had been forced to make since he had received word of Steve McGarrett's passing.<p>

As governor, second guessing himself could be disastrous politically but that didn't mean that he didn't do so privately ever day. Paul hated the decisions that he being forced to make and taking advantage of the fact that he was in safe space with a safe person, he allowed himself to do something he never did: give voice to those doubts. "Are we doing the right thing, John?"

John Manicote considered the question for a moment before answering, "I don't see how we have any other choice."

Paul thought back to the morning when he had informed Danny that he would not be appointing him to replace McGarrett. It was amazing how quickly plans could change for only a couple of hours before, Paul was going to appoint Danny in spite of the public backlash but a lengthy phone call with Jonathan Kaye had caused him to change his strategy.

Kaye had explained that in his investigation into the events surrounding Steve's death, he was suspicious of Agent Peter Black's involvement. He had also received intelligence that there was a group of FBI personal who were very interested in Hawaii right now. In short, Kaye explained that he feared they were dealing with possible rogue or corrupt agents and wanted the Government of Hawaii's assistance in flushing them out. And by flushing them out, Kaye wanted him to hire the man the FBI was pressing to replace Steve: Alexander Zar. If they didn't hire Zar, Kaye argued, this group won't cease their plots and they would lose an easy way to keep an eye on them by watching the man they sent.

Paul didn't like the idea but he had agreed with the plan because Steve had put his trust and even the safety of Hawaii in Kaye hands time and time again. If Steve trusted Kaye, than Paul would trust him and go along with this plan. He just never imagined that it would be this hard.

Kaye, Williams, Kelly and Kalakaua. As governor, he had to believe that the men he trusted would act in ways that would kept Hawaii's best interests at heart. That was why he had given Danny those plane tickets.

Paul smiled; he was beginning to think that the Feds who worked so hard to get rid of Danny were going to regret not letting him take over Five-O. Because now nothing was holding Williams back from finding out what was really happening in Singapore and Paul knew that he would not stop looking until he had discovered the truth.

The hard part was watching Five-O become a shadow of itself under Zar's leadership. Kelly and Kalakaua would have to hold down the fort until this mess was over.

Just as that thought crossed Paul's mind, his secretary announced that a Mr. Kalakaua wanted to speak with him. Straightening in his chair, he watched as the Hawaiian detective stormed into the office, anger etched into his features.

"I quit," Kono Kalakaua declared as he slammed down a letter of resignation on the governor's desk.

_This had not been in the plans,_ Paul thought as he tried to formulate an argument to convince the detective to stay. Kono didn't give Paul any time as he began to explain his anger toward Zar's treatment of Danny and his racist attitude toward Hawaiians. As he listened, Paul became convinced that there was no way that Kono could be persuaded to work under Zar a moment longer.

This was not good. The problem was Paul needed Danny free to go to Singapore, and to achieve that he needed to keep playing along with the Feds long enough so that they won't perceive the detective as a threat. Appointing Zar had been a delaying tactic and for that tactic to work, Zar needed to remain in his position until Danny or Kaye found answers.

It was too late; Paul was committed. He had to let Kono go.

To save Five-O, he first had to destroy it.

* * *

><p>Alone in an empty office, Chin Ho Kelly debated his next move.<p>

During the past hour, Chin felt like a helpless bystander as he watched Danny return to the office, pack up his things and leave. Then feelings of helplessness turned to despair as Kono also returned and announced that he had quit and taken a job as the Assistant Chief of Investigative Services with the Kauai Police Department and followed Danny out the door.

What was the sole remaining detective to do?

Chin agreed with Danny and Kono that Zar was a major problem and incompetent leader so why in the world did Jameson hire him? Chin couldn't help but think that Zar was a product of the segregated South with the attitude he displayed toward Kono and the Chinese victims but that again begged the question of why Jameson chose him to serve in most racially diverse state in the whole country?

If Chin had his choice it would have been Zar leaving and not Danny and Kono but it wasn't his choice. And, unlike Danny or Kono, Chin couldn't afford to be fired and he didn't have the freedom to quit. He had a family that depended on him and the income he made from this job. Returning to HPD would be an option except the lower salary would make things difficult on the family, especially with Tim starting college in the fall. Finding a similar paying job would require a move and he couldn't just move ten people at moment's notice. He was stuck with Zar and whatever else was to come; family came before happiness.

But even as Chin resolved himself to his fate, he allowed himself to grieve for what once was and never would be again.

Chin was alone. They all were.

Hawaii Five-O had shattered into pieces.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Patience**

_An old friend once told Danny whenever he was feeling frustrated that he took it as a sign that he needed to slow down. It was advice that Danny considered sound but it was hard advice to follow when the bomb in front of him could go off at any moment. _Easy, Williams, _he thought to himself, _this bomb is not going to go off due to disarmer error.

* * *

><p>Three days.<p>

That was how long they had to come up with a plan to stop the slavers if they wanted to save this group of girls. And Steve was determined to do just that.

Steve looked at Yi and said, "If we revealed ourselves to the local authorities, we have enough evidence to get a warrant but do we trust them?"

"To search the ship and recover the girls: yes. To properly detain the men and round up the evidence to catch Da Shu: no."

"We need Kaye's presence when we move in to get that," Steve mused, "but then we run the risk of Black finding out and warning Shu's organization before we are in place. I think we'll have a better chance of doing this right if we make our move when the ship docks in Honolulu."

"We will need people in place in Honolulu," Yi stated.

"I trust my men. I'll call Five-O the day the ship leaves."

"You're not going to inform them in person?"

"No," Steve replied, "I'm going to be on that ship."

* * *

><p>As Kono walked across the road, he sidestepped a feral chicken that was running across his path. He was definitely not in Honolulu any more. Kauai was different but even though he had only been on the island for a day and a half, Kono was finding that he wasn't hating it.<p>

Aside from feral chickens, the other animal Kono would be spending a lot of his time keeping a lookout for would be tourists. Kauai's major industry was tourism and Kono learned in his first conversation with Chief Alston that a large part of his duties would involve be investigating scams or thieves that targeted this vital industry. Life in the KPD was definitely going to be slower pace than life with Five-O where investigating murder and organized crime was the norm.

Kono hurt whenever he thought of Chin left behind to fend off the wolves by himself but the Hawaiian knew he couldn't have spent another moment in that office even if he was paid triple his regular salary to do so. Kono shook with anger to think that racist impotent detective was still in charge but when his protests were ignored he knew he couldn't stay. Five-O had died when Steve did; it was just easier to think of it that way.

Walking into the station, Kono wondered over to the office that he shared with two detectives that reported to him and a unit secretary. It wasn't the Iolani Palace but the office was comfortable and functional. Kono could see himself enjoying the hours he would spend here.

The secretary, a young Hawaiian woman named Lia, smiled at him as he entered the room and informed him that his detectives were waiting for him. Kono noticed that they were sitting in seats next to his desk and quickly joined them. He had been introduced yesterday and today his detectives would bring him up to date on their current cases and responsibilities so he could get to work.

Derrick Nelson, a haole larger in girth than he was, handed Kono a file and began to briefly summarize the main points. The detective sitting next to him, a slender Korean woman named Mary Seonu, added the occasional detail or clarification. It was different being on the other side of the desk but from what Kono had read in their files and now could see, he believed that Nelson and Seonu were capable and sound detectives.

Yes, life in Kauai would be different but Kono was beginning to think that it might just grow on him.

* * *

><p>Five hours from Honolulu to San Francisco. Eleven Hours from San Francisco to Tokyo. Seven and half hours from Tokyo to Singapore. Currently, Danny was halfway through the final leg to Singapore. While Danny dreaded the inevitable jet lag, he couldn't deny that these long flights were turning out to be a blessing in disguise. He had done nothing but catch up on desperately needed sleep during the first two flights and now was using the forced inactivity to give himself time to process and reflect on everything that had happened in his life these past couple of weeks.<p>

Everything had happened so fast. From the moment Danny returned from the mainland to the moment he was fired from Five-O, no one had given any of them time to sit back and actually think about what was going on, to maybe consider the fact that people were manipulating Five-O in places it shouldn't go. And now Steve was dead and that was a pain that would never go away. Danny could live with being fired, but failing to convince Steve that he was walking into a trap was something that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Would bringing the killers to justice bring him peace?

Images of rats invaded his dreams as Danny nodded off again. Waking up, Danny couldn't shake the feeling that his focus needed to be on finding Da Shu but to do that he needed local support. The Governor had given him that letter but the question was could he trust the locals?

Steve had told him what happened with the police when he went to Singapore to escort an important witness back to Hawaii. But was it fair to judge the whole force by the actions of a few?

The more Danny thought about it the more he realized he had to involve the local police. Steve had ignored them and still gotten killed. How far could he go alone before the same thing happened to him? No, Danny would attempt to connect with one or two detectives and convince them of the need to keep the word of what they were doing from spreading to the whole force. He suspected that if the detectives knew they were trying to stop a human smuggling operation they would be more likely to agree with his plan than if they just thought they were investigating a death of an American police officer. As much as he wanted justice for Steve's death, Danny knew that if he had to choose between stopping the human smuggling trade from moving into Hawaii or bringing Steve's killers to justice there was no choice.

Danny had to focus on the lives of those he could save; it was what Steve would have wanted.

* * *

><p>Chin checked that the safety was off on his .38 as he leaned against the side door to the house and waited for the signal to enter. Beside him stood Scott Miller, a tall, muscular detective with a shaved head and green eyes. Miller had worked with Zar on the mainland and was hired to be Five-O's new second-in-command. Chin was skeptical of anyone Zar trusted but considering he had only met the man a couple hours ago, he was trying to withhold judgment.<p>

Zar's other hire, Parker Clausen, was on the other side of the building with their boss. Clausen was shorter then Chin, skinny with mousy brown hair and glasses. Chin wasn't sure where Zar found him but Clausen was also from somewhere on the mainland.

Danny and Kono had only been gone for two days but Zar had wasted no time in finding replacements.

Chin watched as Miller listened to the walkie-talkie held up to his ear and when Miller gave the signal, Chin quickly busted down the door. The four Five-O detectives entered the room where a group of men were playing an illegal craps game.

The men put up no resistance and Chin handed off the guy he cuffed to the Officer David Ward standing by.

"Where's Pika?" Chin asked.

"Outside."

"He was ordered to support us," Chin responded.

David shrugged. "No harm done. And before you say a word, know that Five-O shouldn't even be here."

Chin looked to make sure Zar and his men were out of earshot before answered the officer's charge. "I don't like this any more than you do. But you will still follow orders. I will not have someone get shot or killed because they thought protesting was more important than their job. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," David replied, looking a little guilty.

Chin patted the officer on the back. "Let's get his guy booked."

Chin's heartfelt defense of obeying orders was sorely tested when he stepped outside and saw the cameras flashing; their raid would be headline on the evening news. Holding back a groan, the detective couldn't deny the fact that for as unpopular as Zar was making himself among HPD personnel he was making himself very popular with the general public. The series of raids were convincing the people that Five-O was busier and more effective than it had ever been while the truth was that their raids were catching nothing but people low on the totem poles who were easily replaced. The men they really wanted were perfectly safe and Zar's actions were only putting them further out of reach. Chin knew that, all of HPD knew that, and Zar apparently didn't care.

"Kelly!"

Chin turned as he heard Alexander Zar call out his name. Zar gestured him over and the sullen detective obeyed.

Zar pointed to twenty-something Hawaiian male who was refusing to speak English and ordered, "Tell me what he's saying."

"Sorry, Boss, but I don't speak Hawaiian, just English and Chinese." Chin didn't add that this wouldn't have been a problem if boss's attitude hadn't caused Kono to quit.

Zar grunted and hollered for one of the Hawaiian officers to come over. Chin cringed as the officers pretended to not hear Zar.

When Zar looked to Chin for an explanation the detective was stumped. How could he explain to his boss that the reason the officers refused to do anything but guard the perimeter was because they were reacting to Kono's transfer to Kauai? Kono hadn't been quiet about the reason he had quit Five-O and the news had not been received well by HPD's Hawaiian officers.

Chin looked over at Pika and another Hawaiian officer who both shook their heads. Deciding not to press the issue, he told Zar that he would radio central and asked for a translator to be sent to the palace.

Once back at the Iolani Palace, Chin disappeared into his cubicle knowing that Zar wouldn't care if he missed the interrogation. Jenny shot him a questioning look and he gave her a signal that the morning was not going well.

Just as that thought crossed Chin's mind, Zar stormed out of his office and demanded that Chin tell him where his translator was.

"I don't know, Boss. Central told me they would send someone."

"Well he's not here. Get on the horn and find out what's taking him so long!"

Once Zar was out of sight, Chin gave a Jenny a-what-can-you-do look and she responded with a weak smile. Things had not gotten better since Danny and Kono left and Chin was starting to seriously doubt his resolve to stay with Five-O for his family's sake.

Picking up the phone, Chin dialed HPD. "Central, Kelly. What's status on the translator Five-O requested?"

There was a moment of awkward silence before the officer answered, "We're having trouble finding one that is free."

Frustrated, Chin wasn't about to let this go. "Five-O gets priority over any non-emergency request."

The officer on the other end of the line confessed, "Kelly, I'm sorry but they all refuse to come. I begged, I pleaded, I ordered but none of them want to be in the same room as Zar and to be honest, I don't blame them."

Knowing there was no point in arguing any further, Chin ordered, "Patch me through to Chief Dann."

"Chief Dann, here."

"Mike, its Chin. We have a problem."

"I can't do anything about the one sitting in McGarrett's chair."

Unable to help himself, Chin laughed. "Trust me I wish you could but that's not why I called. Five-O is having issues working with HPD. In particular, none of your men want to and a few are refusing direct orders to. Now, I'm asking that they start liking Zar but this insubordination is causing major problems."

"I'll deal with it," Dann promised. "Do you need anything pronto?"

"A Hawaiian translator."

"You couldn't have started with something easier?" Dann asked. "All of HPD heard what the Boss called Kalakaua." Dann paused for a moment then continued, "I tell you what it's below his pay grade but Sergeant Lukela will do it if I explain the situation."

"Thanks, Mike. Tell Duke to make it fast."

Fifteen minutes passed as Chin waited. He told Zar that Lukela was on his way and he then hoped the trustworthy Hawaiian wouldn't let him down. Chin's faith was rewarded when he saw Duke walk through the doors. As Chin gestured for Duke to go inside the main office, the Sergeant leaned down and whispered, "When you can get away, Ben Kokua wants to see you."

Chin gave Duke a smile and then prepared to call Lin and tell her that he would be late tonight. If Ben had news on those dead girls no one was stopping him from finding out what is was, not even Alexander Zar.

Insubordination was truly in the eye of the beholder.

* * *

><p>Sitting in a bar popular with Da Shu's men, Steve looked up from the table where he sat with mug of beer in front of him. He was only pretending to drink, knowing that he would need a clear head if he was going to pull off what he needed to. Luckily, there was a conveniently located plant next to his chair.<p>

Part of the detective couldn't believe what he was about to do but he and Yi had decided this was the only way to get what they needed. That this was only way that Steve could think of to join the crew of _Morning's Light_ without arousing suspicion of her officers.

_The dozen crewman settled around a table, drinking and playing poker should do the trick_, Steve thought.

Pretending to take a sip of his beer, Steve watched the crewman closely. He recognized them all from his time on the docks but needed to time this exactly if he wanted his plan to work. He needed the men drunk enough to not be thinking clearly but not so inebriated that they were passing out. After twenty minutes passed, Steve figured that he wouldn't have a better opportunity.

After checking that his wig and fake beard were still in place, Steve rose from the table, half-full mug of beer in hand. Swaying to appear drunk, Steve walked over to the table where his targets were sitting and then walked to close to the crewman that Steve perceived to be their leader and tripped, slipping his beer all over the man and then falling face first unto the table sending the poker chips flying.

The result was immediate. The beer covered crewman grabbed Steve and threw him on the floor. "What do you think you're doing!" the man roared.

Heads turned Steve's way, as people anticipated a fight. Steve rose lowly to his feet and responded, slurring his speech, "S…S…Sorry. Must have tr…tripped."

"You're going to be sorry," the crewman declared, cracking his knuckles.

Steve held out his hands in defeat. "Barkeep, drinks! Drinks for these…these fine men."

The head crewman kicked Steve and then took his seat yelling, "Make it good beer. None of your cheap stuff."

Steve nodded and hurried off to the bar where the bartender readied a pitcher of beer. Grabbing the pitcher in a manner that he hoped showed that he was desperate to make amends, Steve walked carefully back to the crewman's table. As he walked, he discreetly opened a packet and mixed the contents into the beer.

Placing the pitcher on the table, Steve offered up another round of apologies and then left the bar as the men were already ignoring him and helping themselves to the free drink. Steve didn't know exactly what he had put into the crew members' drinks; Tang Yi had procured it and had not shared the means he used. That discussion had caused Steve to remember that Yi was more than just his contact; he was one of Kaye's trained agents and a good one at that. He had to trust Yi when he said that the powder was a modified virus that would make the next forty-eight hours most unpleasant for these crewmen. They would suffer develop diarrhea, fever, vomiting, and cramps but Yi had assured him that no lasting damage would be done, but these men would be in no shape to report to work tomorrow. The hope was that the sudden loss of crewman would cause some of Da Shu's men to go looking around the docks for replacements.

That was how Steve was going to get on the ship. He was going to be asked


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Trouble**

_Danny worked his way through another layer of wires and was rewarded by finding the controls that would receive the signal to detonate. However, the reward was short-lived as he realized that the receiver was rigged so that if it was removed, the bomb would go off. That was not good news; to disarm the receiver he would have to disarm the whole bomb. Gritting his teeth, Danny hoped beyond hope that Duke would be able to delay just a little bit longer._

* * *

><p>"Friday," Ben Kokua said without any preamble.<p>

"Excuse me?" Chin asked.

"I received word from a reliable source that a new shipment of girls is expected to arrive this Friday afternoon."

Chin didn't know whether to be relieved that they had finally gotten a break or worried that they only had a limited amount of time to figure out which ship the girls would be on. "That's in four days."

"We're going to need the cooperation of both the Coast Guard and the Port Authority to make this work," Ben replied with a hint of worry in his voice. "That's Five-O's job to organize."

"We can't work with Zar."

"We have proof!" Ben declared. "I'll make it an official request from HPD."

"We can't risk it," Chin argued.

"You don't think he could be on the take, do you?"

Chin looked at Ben in shock. That possibility had never crossed his mind. He knew that Zar was ego-driven, racist, and incompetent but crooked…that was too much to consider. "No…but I do think that he'll believe taking this case would be seen as a sign that he shouldn't have fired Danny and his ego can't handle that."

"That what do we do?"

"Get a team together of officers you trust to search for and then board the ship. Between now and Thursday do everything you can to narrow things down. I'll handle Five-O responsibilities with the other agencies, put them on alert and tell them the importance of secrecy in this case."

"But…" Ben protested.

Chin's mind was made up. "Officially, HPD has requested Five-O help: mine. We'll just make sure the paperwork doesn't make it onto Zar's desk until this case is over. We can do this, Ben. We'll deal with the consequences when they come."

Nodding, Ben gave his friend a comforting squeeze on the shoulder; he understood what Chin was risking by putting forward this plan so how could he do anything but lend his support?

* * *

><p>When Kono took this job he never imagined that his first case with his new unit would be a murder investigation. But as Kono looked at the decaying body with a bullet hole in the head there was little doubt.<p>

Kono looked out at the pristine Kalalau beach and felt a tinge of guilt. The beach was normally secluded, visitors where limited to the few each day who were granted permits to hike the difficult trial to get here. This was protected land and for it to be filled with police and medical personnel felt like a sacrilege. The beauty of the ʻāina should never have been marred by an ugly act of violence.

At the end of the beach was a cluster of caves where a pair of honeymooners had discovered the body. They had immediately hiked out and contacted the police who traveled to the secluded spot by boat. The question would be how long the body had lain there before discovery.

The coroner, a middle-aged Japanese man who name Kono had forgotten, stood up after studying the body and announced, "Our victim is a young Caucasian male in his twenties. The bullet was the cause of death. I suspect he's been dead at least a week, no more than two. I'll be able to pin the time of date down after the autopsy."

"Thanks, Doc," Kono said.

The Hawaiian detective's colleague, Derrick Nelson walked up to the scene. "I interviewed our honeymooners: John and Lisa Depres. They're from the mainland and had already been on the beach for a day when they decided to explore the caves and found the body."

Officer Mary Seonu leaned down and studied the body. After the police photographer finished, she picked up a stick and brought forth a chain from around the victim's neck. "Looks like a chain used to hold dog tags."

"Expect da tags are missing," Kono added. "Good eye."

A couple of minutes passed as the Kauai detectives studied the scene. Then Kono realized that they were waiting for him to announce the next direction. Thinking of how confident and sure Steve sounded when giving orders, Kono evoked the memory of his mentor to help him. "Mary, head out ta Barking Sands and see if dere are any service personnel reported missing. Derrick, check with da park service; I want a list of everyone who was granted a permit in da past two weeks and get statements from those still on Kauai."

Derrick smiled as he nodded and Mary answered, "On it."

Kono watched his detectives finished studying the scene and then headed for their boat. Not wanting to be left behind, he hurried after them. They had a case to solve.

* * *

><p>It was five after eight in the morning so Steve figured out that it was just after two in the afternoon in Honolulu which meant that Danny would most likely be in the office unless he had a case.<p>

Looking at the phone in front of him, Steve debated the best way of approaching the forthcoming conversation. Last night's actions had yielded the anticipated results; recruiters had searched for new crew to serve on the _Morning's Light _and Steve was now one of them. He had orders to report to his new station in an hour and the last thing he needed to do was let Five-O know that he was alive, that he was undercover on the ship, and that the ship would be arriving in Honolulu in four days time.

Except it wouldn't be as easy as just calling and reporting in. Steve knew that.

Five-O needed to know but word of Steve's survival needed to remain under wraps. Once Danny calmed down, Steve believed that he would do what needed to be done. Danny would keep up the ruse for a few more days and so would Kono and Chin but Steve doubted that Jenny would be able to contain herself if she recognized his voice. So Steve would have to be careful to get past his secretary and then get Danny alone before revealing his presence.

That was the easy part, because then Steve needed to figure out how best to make Danny understand the difficult decision he had been forced to make.

Steve realized that he could debate his options all day and come up with no good answer. He just needed to make the call; he was on a short time frame. So Steve picked up the phone and dialed the series of numbers to contact him to the Five-O office.

Steve was rewarded with the familiar voice of his secretary saying, "Hawaii Five-O."

Deepening his voice so that Jenny wouldn't recognize him, Steve said, "I'd like to speak with Dan Williams."

There was a pause and Steve feared that there connection was dead when Jenny finally responded, "I'm sorry, Sir, but Mr. Williams no longer works in this department. Can I connect you with another detective?"

Steve bit his tongue to hold back an order demanding to know why Danny was gone and forced himself to reply normally, "Kelly or Kalakaua, please."

"Kelly is out of the office and Kalakaua has transferred out of Five-O. I can take a message for Detective Kelly or connect you with Detective Zar who is available."

Flabbergasted, Steve was at a complete loss for what to do. He couldn't leave a message and he had no idea who this Zar detective was. Knowing there was nothing he could say, Steve slammed the phone back on the receiver and stared at it in disbelief.

Tang Yi, who was lounging on the couch in their hideout, called out, "Is something wrong?"

Steve couldn't even answer "Yes" as he was too shocked by the developments at Five-O in the short time he had been away. How could Danny and Kono be gone? He had trusted Danno, trained him and believed that if anything had ever happened to him, Danno would ensure that Five-O would continue to protect the citizens of Hawaii. Steve wanted to scream, to find his detectives and demand to know how they could have left. Part of Steve knew that his thoughts were irrational; he didn't know the reason that Danny and Kono were no longer part of his team or even if their leaving had been voluntary but that didn't make Steve any less angry.

Steve had made a plan in his mind and now with one failed phone call it lay in ruins.

What in the world was happening in Honolulu?

Finally, necessity made Steve turn to Yi and say, "Change of plan. Once the ship leaves I need you to lay low until twelve hours before she is scheduled to dock. At that time, contact Kaye and tell him – make sure you speak directly to him – that we discovered a human smuggling operation and give the name of the ship and tell him to prepare but keep my presence on the ship a secret just in case there is a mole. Worst case scenario, I'll sneak off the ship, contact HPD and try to make a move before the cargo disappears."

Then taking a breath, Steve spoke words he never thought he would say, "We can't count on Five-O coming to our aid."

* * *

><p>Arriving in Singapore in the mid-morning, Danny quickly checked into a hotel and then took a cab to the main Singapore Police Station. After showing the Governor's letter to the secretary at the front desk, he was led into an office and introduced to a Malaysian detective by the name of Malik bin Aban. After exchanging pleasantries, Detective Malik cut straight to the chase. "I see from your credentials that you are here to investigate the death of an American police officer, Steve McGarrett."<p>

"Yes," Danny replied.

Malik reached in a cabinet and pulled forth a file and handed to Danny. "You are welcome to go over our files but I doubt you will find anything useful. The explosion destroyed any evidence that might exist."

"Witnesses?"

"A few that heard gunshots shortly before the explosion, one man who claims he saw a boat investigate the explosion but he was unable to give us a good description. A number of people who saw the explosion but not much else."

"But you were able to confirm that McGarrett was aboard?"

"Yes, along with Tang Yi. Is that name familiar to you."

Danny shook his head. "No."

Malik grabbed a pad and a pencil and said, "I am hoping that you may be able to shed some light on a possible motive."

Danny liked this detective; he seemed to take his job seriously and was interested in what he had to share. Knowing that his odds of finding anything useful rose drastically if he could get help from the Malaysian detective, Danny decided to take the risk and trust him with all the information they had.

Reaching down into his bag, Danny brought forth a copy of the files he had attempted to show Zar before he was fired. "Steve was investigating rumors of a smuggling operation run by a man called Da Shu. This organization is using Singapore as a staging ground to smuggle sex slaves into Honolulu. I think Steve discovered something they didn't want us to know and was killed for it."

"Human trafficking," Malik declared, "are you sure?"

"Yes, a few of the girls have been found dead."

Malik leaned back in his chair and thought for a couple minutes before replying. "The crash occurred close to a pier district that we are suspicious of. A few of men reported that they had been approached about bribes to remain quit about unusual activity. We thought it was drugs."

"We were surprised too," Danny added honestly.

"We started an investigation but were told to back off."

"And you did?"

"Maybe it is different in your country, Mr. Williams, but corruption is a major problem among our ranks. By handing the investigation over to the international authorizes we figured there would be a stronger chance of an arrest."

"Who ordered you to back off?"

"A Peter Black from your FBI. He said Interpol wanted to take the case."

Danny was right, this whole thing had been a plot to get Steve out of Hawaii, but now that Shu's organization had played its role why hadn't the FBI moved in to stop it? Unless…

Suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and the events since Danny's "arrest" all made too much sense. Killing Steve had never been the end goal; Steve was simply just an obstacle that had needed to be removed. How could he have been so narrow-minded?

This was a much bigger plot then any of them had previously imagined.

Danny looked Malik straight in the eye as he replied, "Corruption isn't just a problem here. We have it too."

"Black?"

"Yes."

Malik cursed in Malay, but Danny was too worried to notice. Because if he was right, and he believed he was, then Chin was in trouble and Danny was stuck half a world away.

* * *

><p><em>That was strange, <em>Jenny Sherman thought as she hung up the phone. The caller seemed to have no idea of the events that had been all over of the news and then hung up suddenly when he couldn't be connected to the people he wanted. Though in fairness, if someone would have told her a couple of weeks ago what was going to happen to Five-O, she never would have believed it. But the caller didn't ask for Steve. Did that mean that he knew that Steve was dead? But how could he know that and not know about Danny and Kono? It didn't make sense.

Jenny knew she shouldn't dwell on it but she couldn't shake the thought that there had been something odd about that voice.

The outer office door opened and Jenny saw Scott Miller and Parker Clausen enter and head straight towards Zar's office. Jenny ignored them unless they spoke to her. She didn't like Zar's hires anymore than she liked the Boss.

Disappointed to not see Chin bringing up the rear, Jenny picked the report that she had just finished before the mysterious caller had telephoned and headed toward Zar's office.

Jenny walked to the door and suddenly stopped as she heard Zar, "Where's Kelly?"

Wanting to know what Zar thought of Chin, Jenny decided to wait a minute before entering the room and moved closer to the slightly cracked open door.

"Setting up the raid you ordered with HPD," Clausen replied.

Miller said, "I followed Kelly like you ordered and he met with Kokua. I looked into the files and discovered that Kelly was the detective that originally got Five-O involved in this case; I doubt he's going to drop it now."

"His meddling is going to cause problems," Clausen added.

"I can't fire him or convince him to quit," Zar voice added softly which caused Jenny to press her ear against the crack. "Governor Jameson wasn't happy about the situations with Williams and Kalakaua. However, he accepted the results as necessary but he was very explicit about the importance of having a detective familiar with Five-O and the islands on the team. If we get rid of Kelly, I suspect the Governor will get rid of us."

"So we just let him ruin everything," Clausen hissed.

Zar's voice went cold. "If Kelly's sidelined or killed while on duty, the Governor won't be able to protest. We have to be careful. No one here can pull the trigger. One of you needs to be distracted when he needs cover. Understand?"

Clamping her hands over her mouth to cover a gasp, Jenny missed the reply. She could not believe the words she just heard!

Slowly tip-toeing back to her desk, Jenny forced herself to take deep breathes so as to not start screaming. She couldn't let Zar and his cronies know that she overheard their plots. She would have to be strong and remain calm if she was going to save Chin.

For there was no way that Jenny was going to let these goons who called themselves detectives hurt Chin!

Terrified but motivated to act, Jenny debated the easiest way to contact Chin when Zar's door opened and the three men walked out and then left the office. As soon as she was sure that she was alone, Jenny quickly called HPD and asked for the one man she knew could always trust. The one man whom she knew who would make sure Chin was warned without Zar finding out. "I need to talk to Sergeant Duke Lukela immediately."

* * *

><p>It was a different day, difference place, but the scene before Chin looked the same as he again prepared to begin yet another raid – this time on a suspected drug dealer.<p>

Scott Miller was standing a couple of feet behind him as they guarded the rear entrance while Chin took point and waited for the official word.

Miller gave the signal and Chin kicked the door in. Moving into the room, he didn't see any one and begin to clear the room when someone came running in from the hallway. Chin turned to face the threat and saw the gun aimed at him. He threw himself to the ground a half a second before he heard the weapon fire. Bringing his weapon around, Chin fired and missed. He saw the gunman prepare to take another shot and he knew that this time the man wouldn't miss…

Suddenly, the gunman stumbled and fell to the ground and Chin found comfort in the knowledge that Miller had gotten him but when Chin turned toward his rescuer it wasn't Miller.

Duke Lukela was standing in the open doorway, gun in hand.

Before Chin could ask what was going on, Miller entered the room. "I thought I saw someone and on the side of the building and checked it out," he said briskly. "Is everything good here?"

Hurt that Miller had been off chasing ghosts when he should have been covering his back, Chin just stated, "Building's not clear yet."

Miller took off to investigate the other rooms as Chin started to push himself to feet only to find Duke suddenly by his side. The HPD Sergeant grabbed Chin as if to support him and ordered, "Limp."

"Why?" Chin asked, confused and still a little shaken by the close call.

"Trust me," Duke whispered, "you twisted your ankle dodging that bullet."

Sensing the serious tone in Duke's voice, Chin nodded and started to limp. When Miller came back to announce that the building was clear, Duke explained that Chin had hurt his ankle when he fell down and that he was taking him to the emergency room to get it checked out.

Once Chin was seated in Duke's cruiser and the doors were shut, he demanded, "What is going on? Why are you here?"

"Jenny sent me. She overheard a conversation between Zar, Miller and Clausen. They know you met with Ben yesterday and they see it as meddling. The Governor has told Zar that if you are fired then he will be too. So Zar ordered his men to not cover you properly on this raid in hopes that you'd hurt or killed."

Leaning back in the seat, Chin felt all his blood drain from his face. He couldn't have heard Duke correctly. "This can't be real."

Sadness filled Duke's eyes as replied, "I'm sorry, Chin."

It was real. How could it be real?

Finally, Chin was able to whisper, "Does anyone else know?"

"No."

Tears threatened to flow as Chin thought about what would have happened if Jenny hadn't overheard, if Duke hadn't gotten there in time. He had prepared his family for the possibility that he could be killed but none of them had ever imagined the person seeking his death would be one of those they trusted to have his back, to protect him.

Ben had raised the possibility that Zar was crooked and Chin had dismissed him. Now the suggestion seemed all too likely. It was the only conceivable answer to a situation that defied all reasonable explanation.

Chin had made a mistake, he had thought that Zar was merely incompetent but he was wrong. Zar was not incompetent; Zar was clearly corrupt and even worse, he knew exactly what he was doing. He wanted Five-O destroyed for a reason. And Chin feared that he now knew why. Those raids that Chin had cursed for being ineffective, he now realized were achieving one thing: all the major crime organizations in Honolulu were pulling back on operations and moving into survival mode which meant that they would not be able to stop a competitor from moving in. Da Shu was planning to set up shop in Honolulu and Zar was helping him do it.

Duke parked the cruiser outside of the emergency room entrance to Queens. "I called ahead so Bergman will meet us; just remember to limp."

"We aren't going to fool anyone."

Duke looked Chin straight in the eye and stated firmly, "You are hurt; you twisted your ankle."

Suddenly, Chin realized what Duke was planning. "Will Doc sign off on this?"

Duke cracked the first smile Chin had seen in a long time. "You know he will."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Perseverance**

_There is a point where you stop thinking about the clock, you stop thinking about the aches in your body from forcing your body into an unnatural position for so long, you stop thinking about how tired and mentally worn out you are. And when you reach that point the only thing you have left is will and determination and you hope that it will be enough to see things through to end._

_Danny Williams had reached the point. He was going to disarm this bomb and nothing was going to stop him._

* * *

><p>Standing on the deck of the <em>Morning's Light<em>, Steve watched those passing by on the dock as he awaited his orders. He know that he needed to concentrate on the dangerous task at hand but he couldn't stop his thoughts from dwelling on the phone call. What had happened to Five-O in his absence? What had caused Danny and Kono to leave? Instead of saving this case, would his decision to fake his death ultimately ruin it?

Steve knew that he could speculate forever and he'd have four long days at sea to consider and reconsider every possibility, but he had chosen his path and now he had no choice but to see it through to the end.

"John!"

Remembering his alias and recognizing the voice, Steve turned to see Billy, one of the cargo loaders he had been working with, approaching him. The Englishmen leaned against the rail with hands in his pockets as he gave Steve an inquiring look. "I'm surprised you decided to sign on."

Knowing that Billy was referring to the conversation that they had when the girl had gotten loose, Steve knew that he had to answer carefully. "I need to get back to the States." Then faking a grin, Steve added, "Besides a friend once told me that sometimes it is better not to ask questions."

Billy laughed as he recognized his own words being thrown back at him. However, their conversation was ended when the first mate walked on deck and started shouting in several languages, "Stations! We're casting off."

This was it. By the end of this journey, Steve would know whether or not he had made the right decision.

* * *

><p>Detective Malik bin Aban noticed the worry on Danny's face and asked, "What is the problem?"<p>

"Black told us the truth and figured that because they told us it was true that we would never suspect him of being behind the plot."

"So you trusted this man?"

"Yes and no," Danny replied honestly. "We didn't trust his methods but when the evidence showed that this organization was real, we trusted that he was telling us the truth."

"But why would he alert you to the presence of this organization if he was behind it?"

"Because it scattered Five-O. Steve came to Singapore where he was killed and his replacement, Alexander Zar, was suggested by the FBI. Zar got rid of me and another detective which gives Da Shu an opening to move into Honolulu." As Danny spoke, his worry for Chin increased. If he was right then Chin would be an obstacle that Zar would have to get rid of!

Malik nodded to show that he understood. "Then our next step is to discover the next ship being used smuggle goods out of this city and stop it before it leaves port."

"Agreed."

The two detectives rose and Malik motioned for Danny to come with him and they drove to the local port authority. Together they poured over logs of ships, marking any probables.

"There!" Malik pointed to a name on the list. "_The Morning Light_. Her listed cargo is luxury goods and her next port of call is Honolulu. She is scheduled to leave from the right docks in less than an hour."

"Let's go," Danny said, already halfway out the door.

Malik drove quickly through the streets as he made his way to the docks. The city was both bigger and more confusing than Danny had imagined; he was glad to have found a local partner. Malik called for back-up and two other cars joined them as they parked a short walking distance from the docks.

Exciting the car, Malik announced, "If we go over there they will recognize that we are police. Do we want to do this?"

Danny nodded and saw that the men who had joined them felt the same way. They hurried over to the correct pier only to see that their target had cast off. Looking out to sea, Danny spotted her only a couple of miles out and pointed.

Malik eyes followed Danny's hand. "We can see if we can catch her before she hits international waters."

"No," Danny replied, "we know where she's headed. We'll set the trap there."

Frustrated that had come so close and was again left empty-handed, Danny knew that he would never give up. He had no choice; otherwise he would watch Honolulu be turned into a slave market.

And this time no one was going to get in his way.

* * *

><p>Under the cover of darkness, Chin snuck into his own office with Ben Kokua accompanying him. Not that it was very difficult when he had a key and had simply waved at the security guard on his way in but that didn't lessen the risk. Zar could not discover that he had done this. Not when Chin was supposed to off active duty for the next two weeks with a high ankle sprain.<p>

"Where do we start?"

Chin held up a key to Steve's former desk. "Danny gave me his set when he left. I don't think Zar knows there's a copy."

Smiling, Ben let Chin lead the way into the big office. Sitting in the chair behind the desk, Chin unlocked the drawer that Steve used to keep his most sensitive documents out of hope that Zar would do the same.

Pulling out a two files, Chin handed one to Ben as he leafed through the other, taking great care to keep everything in the order he had found it.

Quickly, Chin realized that this was going to be harder then he thought. His files were lists of abbreviations and dates and writing that didn't give a clear idea as to what Zar was referring to. When he compared his file to Ben's, he discovered more of the same. They would need days with Che to decode these things and they didn't have that amount of time. Chin had hoped to come out of this office with further proof of Zar's corruption tonight.

"Found something," Ben announced. He pointed to a date that had a note scribbled next to it and read, "_Informed the rat that the cats are clear. Send next shipment of cheese."_

The rat. Da Shu. They had their connection.

"That date is the day after Danny and Kono left," Chin stated.

"Is it enough?" Ben asked.

"It's a start. Jenny's testimony will get us an arrest, this note here will send Internal Affairs looking in the right direction. Let's go in case Zar decides to take a leaf out of Steve's book and come to work in the middle of the night."

Twenty-five minutes later, Chin and Ben parked outside of the main Honolulu police station. Grabbing his crutches to maintain the ruse for the officers wandering around, Chin and Ben entered the building and made their way to Duke's office.

Duke looked up as they entered and sat down. Chin answered the unasked question, "We found papers connecting Zar to Da Shu and probably a lot more once we put Che to work decoding them."

"I learned something new as well," Duke said. "Zar never worked for the Atlanta Police Department."

Chin looked confused. "I know Danny called to check when the issues first appeared."

"I spoke with some of the officers on the force; I suspect Danny only went through official channels who were instructed to provide an official cover."

"By who?" Ben asked.

"Peter Black," Chin theorized, "this whole mess started with him."

Ben leaned back in his chair. "The real question is when do we go to the Governor?"

"I'm ready to go as soon as the sun rises," Duke said, "but I'm expecting a call from Jonathan Kaye and I want to hear he has to say first."

"Why? We have all the proof we need to arrest Zar," Ben argued.

"Because Kaye's been involved from the beginning," Chin reasoned, "and we're with dealing a corrupt or rogue FBI agent and criminals masquerading as detectives. I don't think Kaye stopped being involved when Steve died. Who has made or has given his approval to most of these changes in Five-O?"

"The Governor," Ben answered, his brow furrowed in thought. "He's always been careful with the safety of this state before."

"And he's put the safety of Hawaii into Kaye's hands before," Duke added.

As if on cue the phone rang. Duke picked it up and then put the call on speaker. "Jonathan, its Duke. I'm here with Chin Ho Kelly and Ben Kokua."

"Aloha," Jonathan said. "I want you to meet FBI Director Richard Vance."

"Hello," said an unfamiliar voice that Chin assumed was Vance.

Almost being killed a couple hours ago made Chin impatient with all the pleasantries so he got straight to the point. "Jonathan, we have a major problem."

"Only one?" Kaye piped before he got serious. "Before you ask, yes, I am aware of Zar but I think you need to know how he got the position he has first. When I heard that the FBI through Black was pressuring Governor Jameson, I decided that it was time to contact Director Vance and we did some digging on Black. Richard?"

"Black has been with the agency for thirty years with no problems. But he made some risky investments and lost all of his savings last year. The fallout included a divorce with his wife taking most of what was left in the divorce settlement. Six months ago he was working a case in East Asia and we have since learned that during this time Black was approached by Da Shu and I suspect was given an offer that he couldn't refuse."

Money. Chin shook his head in disgust. So many times corruption and evil went back to the fact that people thought they needed to be richer than they were.

"Why the charade? If you know he's crooked why haven't you stepped in?" Ben asked.

"We want Da Shu," the director stated firmly. "We will deal with Black in the proper time and place but we weren't going to pass up this chance to capture an important crime lord."

"Yet you choose to keep everyone in the dark," Chin stated with a hint of bitterness entering his voice. He had almost died because of all the secrets.

"The Governor knew some of it but we couldn't risk anyone letting what they knew slip or we'd be back to square one. We needed your reactions to be natural."

Chin shot Duke an exasperated look. Their reactions had been natural but they had resulted in both Kono and Danny leaving Five-O.

Kaye continued, "We believe that if you can gain control of the next shipment of girls we'll have the evidence we need to find Da Shu and end his operations for good. There a man by the name of Xu Qiang who is in charge of protecting the slaves they're smuggling. If you can capture him alive, he can lead us to Da Shu."

Ben didn't look happy. "If you didn't trust us before why are you telling us the truth now?"

"Because we need your help," Kaye replied honestly. "We can't do this without support on the ground."

Chin exchanged glances with his friends and they all nodded to show that while they were not happy they were willing to go along with this plan. "Agreed. We know that the next load of girls is expected to arrive on Friday but we don't know much more."

"Then I have good news to report. Dan Williams, working with the Singapore police, discovered that your ship is the _Morning's Light._" Kaye then listed off a registration number which Chin wrote down.

Ben looked surprised and worried; Danny had been a good friend of his ever since their days in HPD together. "Danny's in Singapore!"

"Yes, but he's scheduled to fly back to Hawaii and should arrive in Honolulu late Thursday."

Chin and Duke exchanged a look. If Danny returned they both knew that he'd want to be involved but, with his badge revoked, there wasn't much that Danny was going to be able to do. Chin knew that it would drive the former detective crazy if he has forced to remain on the side lines while the rest of them risked their lives to bring this case to a close.

But Chin didn't see what other option they had. Everyone had been forced to make difficult decisions to get the information they needed to solve this case but all of those choices came with consequences that would not be easily undone.

* * *

><p>"Morning, Boss," Mary Seonu said cheerfully as he set a folder on Kono's desk. "Got an ID on our victim but there's one problem: he showed up for work this morning."<p>

Kono opened the folder and saw information on a James Konst who was a twenty year old member of the Coast Guard from Seattle. "How positive is da ID?"

"One-hundred percent."

Looking at Derrick Nelson, Kono asked, "Is da name on da list of permits."

After quickly scanning the list in front him, Derrick replied, "No."

Kono nodded. "Da autopsy report says our victim was killed eleven days ago and da lab reports dat da body was dumped."

Derrick spoke up. "Then it's doubtful we'll find our doer on the permit list. I talked to some of the Park Rangers and they said that trail is difficult. If someone was dumping a body they would had to have arrived by boat."

"Still check da list," Kono ordered. "One of our hikers might remember seeing a boat." Looking back at Mary, Kono said, "You said dat Coast Guard isn't aware dat Konst is missing?"

"No, according to their records he's on active duty on a cutter. His commanding officer is going to call in about twenty minutes."

"Did ya get any information about da cutter Konst is assigned to?"

"The _USCGC Olson_, commanded by Captain Charles Bost." Mary handed Kono a list of the _Olson_'s current patrol schedule and route.

Looking at the paper, Kono dismissed his detectives and began to read it closely. It was looking like whoever had killed Konst did so to take his place on the cutter but why?

The Coast Guard patrolled Hawaii to maintain the safety of the harbors, to rescue those in trouble at sea, but they also were the front line against modern day pirates, smugglers who tried to bring anything illegal into American territory.

Thinking fast, Kono pulled out a detailed map of the waterways around the Islands and began to trace the _Olson's _route and noticed that the bulk of her time patrolling the Kauai Channel, the stretch of water that separated Kauai and Oahu. Most ships coming from Asia entered Honolulu by crossing the southern part of the channel. Suddenly, a possible motive hit for Konst's murder hit the Hawaiian.

Shaking his head, Kono told himself that it had to be coincidence. It wasn't possible that he could get a break on human smuggling case while in Kauai, was it?

But Kono was still in contact with Chin and he had heard that the next shipment of slaves was scheduled to arrive Friday afternoon. Double checking the schedule, he saw that the _Olson _would be on patrol in the channel during that time frame.

It seemed absurd, but the more Kono thought about it the more his gut told him that Konst's murder was connected to what was going on in Honolulu. So when Captain Bost called, the detective quickly explained the situation and then asked one question, "Do ya have room for one more?"


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: Tick-Tock**

_Danny let go of the breath he was holding as he carefully cut a wire. Studying the bomb, Danny could see the path he needed to take to finish the job. There was only three wires left to be cut; the end was in sight. The only question that remained was: could he finish in time?_

* * *

><p>Danny, Chin, Kono, Duke, and Ben.<p>

A splintered team that refused to die.

It hadn't been a long since the last time they had gathered, but as Danny looked around the room it felt like it had been a lifetime. There was so much he wanted to say but they only had a short amount of time before Kono needed to rejoin the Coast Guard cutter that was currently refueling at Pearl Harbor.

Chin broke the silence by setting a pile of warrants on the table. He shuffled through them and then handed one to Duke. "I worked with Manicote and we have the authority to search the _Morning's Light_."

"And dose others?" Kono asked.

Chin picked up the others and placed them in an inner jacket pocket. "These I will serve myself."

Danny had a good hunch as to whose names were on those other warrants and he didn't blame Chin for wanting to personally take care of the situation and if his badge hadn't been revoked he might have begged Chin for the chance to help. "Does everyone know the plan?"

Four heads nodded and Ben quickly summarized, "Duke's going to lead the team we put together for the raid; we hope this will keep Zar from being suspicious of any chatter over the radio. Chin and I will support Duke's team and help gain control of the ship. Kono will be abroad the cutter _USCG Olson_ which will coordinate with Harbor Patrol to keep her from fleeing out to sea."

Duke looked sternly at Danny and the former Five-O detective braced himself for what he knew was to come. "Danny will accompany and advise us in a civilian role. Danny, do you understand that I can't let you personally get involved in the raid? We need to do this by the book."

Gritting his teeth at the unfairness of it all, Danny replied, "I understand."

Then taking one more look at the people whom he loved, Danny said firmly, "We can do this. I believe in every one of you. These past couple weeks have been some of the hardest we have every had to face but we are still here, still fighting. They split us apart but they couldn't stop us from working together and together we will end this."

* * *

><p>As Kono walked up the ramp onto the <em>USCG Olson, <em>he made no attempt to hide who he was or why he was abroad. Any tricks or attempts to sneak would have failed abroad such a small ship. The only reason the James Konst impersonation was successful was because he was a recent transfer who was murdered before any of the crew had been able to meet him.

When Kono feet hit the deck he was met by the cutter's captain, Charles Bost, who immediately greeted the detective. "Officer Kalakaua. I was told you uncovered evidence about a ship carrying a load of heroin."

"Yes, Sir," Kono stated, "the _Blue Coral_. She's scheduled to come in within the next couple of hours."

Bost turned and faced the crew who were gathered on the deck. "Men, you heard Kalakaua. Get to your stations and prepare to cast off. We have a target."

The crew hurried to their stations and Bost led Kono to the bridge. Looking around the ship, Kono couldn't help but grin; he wasn't hiding who he was or why he was abroad but that didn't mean he couldn't lie about the cutter's target.

Once Kono reached the bridge, Bost told him that they could speak freely. "Konst, or whoever is impersonating him, has been assigned to work with one of my most trustworthy men. However, I don't like leaving him free abroad my ship."

"We don't have a choice," Kono replied. "We can't risk dat Konst's job is ta let the slavers know if da coast is free. Once da _Morning's Light _is in American waters, he is all yours."

"Very well," Konst signed. "Stay back, I need to give the order to cast off."

Kono did as he was commanded and watched as the cutter left dock and began its regular patrol route west of Oahu. A couple of hours passed when word came to the bridge that _Blue Coral _had been spotted. Kono grew excited because he knew that the _Blue Coral's _presence meant the _Morning's Light _had been spotted by other Coast Guard ships patrolling the area. Chin had worked hard to get the cooperation of all the local agencies and once they all realized that they were going after those who enslaved children, all had agreed to fully cooperate in this rather unorthodox plan.

A petty officer approached Captain Bost, saluted and said, "Message, Sir. Chief Varns noticed Konst fiddling with an unauthorized radio a few moments ago but did not intercede."

"Good," Bost said. "Tell Varns to maintain surveillance and have a group of men standing by to arrest Konst as soon as I give the order."

As the young Coast Guardsman acknowledged the orders and then left, Bost turned to Kono. "Looks like you were right about the message."

Kono nodded to show that he heard but his attention was elsewhere as he spotted the _Morning's Light _enter American waters. "Dere she is."

Bost quickly barked out orders that to those watching the ship would make it look like she was pursuing the _Blue Coral _when in reality they could easily turn and trap their true target in port.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

><p>It had been a long voyage.<p>

A weary Steve looked out over the railing as he spotted the familiar Hawaiian coastline. However, he didn't have time to linger as the ship was a bustle of activity as she prepared to dock. Working as a crewman had been hard work, both mentally and psychically. While Steve was in good shape, the back-breaking labor had pushed him to his limit but that was nothing compared to the stress of maintaining his cover.

But it was worth it. Steve had reached Hawaii and now all he had to do was make sure the authorities searched the _Morning Light _before her illegal cargo disappeared_._ Steve had not yet found the girls but he wasn't concerned. As new crew Steve had been clear instructions about what parts of the ship were off limits and he stayed clear of the restricted areas for he knew that he would accomplish nothing if his cover was blown in the middle of the ocean. However, obeying orders had paid off, for when Steve had been assigned to work in the mess he noticed that more food was being prepared than what was being served to the crew. Those girls were abroad, Steve was certain.

As the ship prepared to dock, Steve hurried aft and helped pick up a mooring line. When the order was given they threw the line to waiting workers on the dock. While those on the dock worked, Steve glanced around the harbor and was rewarded when he spotted the gray hair attached to the familiar face of Duke Lukela who was peeking out from behind a nearby warehouse.

Inwardly, Steve smiled. If Duke was here than others would be too and now that Steve knew to look for HPD, he spotted several more officers scattered around the harbor. Then moving to fulfill other orders, Steve glanced out to sea and noticed a Coast Guard cutter closing on another ship. However, he could tell by the ship's positioning that it could easily move to cut them off. It looked like Tang Yi had gotten their message through.

Just as that thought crossed Steve's mind, the _Morning's Light _ramp was lowered and before he could blink HPD moved in. Flashing blue and whites raced into the dock to provide cover for the officers and block escape by land. Dozens of officers run into the area wearing bullet proof vests and took up positions behind the vehicles, Duke in the lead with Chin beside him

As much as Steve wanted to smile and watch this unfold, he couldn't afford to drop his cover yet. He was stuck on a ship with very dangerous men who were trapped which could potentially make them unpredictable. So Steve mimicked the actions of his fellow crewmen by backing away from the railing and looking around for orders.

Captain Largo stormed down from the bridge to look at the situation.

"Sir," a crewman called out, "they have us trapped by the sea too." Steve looked and saw that the cutter had moved into position and two other cutters had appeared and where moving in.

Captain Largo turned and screamed at a muscular Chinese man that Steve recognized as Xu Qiang. "You told me that the authorities would never suspect us!"

Xu's eyes narrowed as he replied firmly, "I have matters under control."

An uneasy feeling crept into Steve's gut. He had seen Xu watching the crew before; he held himself apart like an officer but Xu's role had never been defined. Now Steve had the feeling that this was one of Da Shu's men, sent to supervise the cargo. This was the man that they needed to capture alive in order to find Da Shu.

"Under control!" the raging captain countered. "You have doomed us all."

A bull-horn amplified voice interrupted the conversation. "Attention, _Morning's Light_, my name is Sergeant Lukela and I have warrants to search your ship and inspect your cargo. I am ordering you and your men to stand down and prepare to be boarded."

Largo moved to ordered his men to obey but Xu roughly grabbed the captain and forced him to stand still, "Captain, I won't do that if I were you; this ship is rigged to explore and I will kill us all before I let the authorities have us."

Then to confirm his threat, Xu pulled out a remote trigger for bomb and held it in his hand. "I have prepared for every eventuality."

All the blood drained from the Captain's face as he stared at the man who had hired him. "You're insane."

"No," Xu replied. "Just dedicated. Now you be quiet, I need to explain the situation to that cop."

Shaking, the captain complied as Steve watched helplessly. He understood what was going on here. Xu knew that he had nothing to lose. If the authorities were allowed to search the ship, they would find the girls and he would spend the rest of his life in prison. But if the ship was destroyed everyone abroad would die and the evidence they needed to put a halt to this whole operation would go up in smoke. Da Shu could regroup and his organization would live on.

"Lukela! I hope you're listening. Because I have rigged this ship with explosives and if any of your men come closer, I will blow her out of the water. You have five minutes to pull your men back and clear a path to international waters."

* * *

><p>A bomb!<p>

As Duke comprehended the new development he couldn't help but notice that Danny had immediately ran for his car, the same vehicle that he used as a detective but had failed to turn in since he had been removed from the force.

Worried about what the younger man would do, Duke ordered Chin to call the bomb squad and warn the Coast Guard and followed the former detective. "Danny, what are you doing?" Duke demanded.

Danny pulled out of kit of tools from the trunk. "Duke, we both know that I am the only person here with the knowledge to disarm this bomb. I don't care if I'm not on the force, I'm going to stand here and watch everyone die when I can stop this!"

"You're going to sneak on the ship!"

"Yes," Danny declared. "Duke, I need you to stall for as long as you can. I've been trained but I am going to need time."

"How do you expect to get aboard?"

Ben stepped forward. "I can get Danny abroad and protect him while he disarms the bomb as long as he doesn't mind going for a swim." When Danny didn't protest, Ben said, "Come on, I know where we can get some wetsuits."

Duke followed Danny as he and Ben grabbed wetsuits and waterproof bags from another squad car and prepared themselves.

Knowing that there was nothing he could say or do to keep his Danny away from that bomb, Duke simply asked, his voice full of concern, "Danny, can you do this?"

Reaching down and picking up the waterproof bag that held his essential tools, Danny walked to the edge of the dock. Right before diving in, the former Five-O detective looked Duke right in the eyes and answered, "Yes."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Disarmament**

_Danny was back in Huntsville, sitting in a class a dozen other people being trained in the skills of bomb disposal. The class had just finished their first lab where they had disarmed their first "bomb." Sensing that the trainees were in high spirits, the instructor started drilling them, asking questions on material they hadn't learned yet. After the weight of what they didn't know sunk in the instructor gave a lecture where the students hung on to every word. He warned them that to succeed in this line of work they could never let confidence turn into cockiness and when they were the most sure of the next move to take that was when they needed to slow down because it was in those moments that everything could blow up in your face._

* * *

><p>The office was quiet too quiet. It was so quiet that Jenny Sherman feared that the "detectives" with whom she shared the office would hear her knees shaking due to the fear and nervousness that were her constant companions. Yesterday, she had meet with John Manicote as he had taken her testimony against Zar and his men. Once she finished, John had requested that she return to work and act like nothing had happened to give him the time he needed to continue the investigation. Jenny had agreed even though it didn't change the fact that coming into work with a smile on her face was the hardest thing she had ever done. Because every time she heard Zar, Miler or Clausen speak she couldn't forget how those same voices plotted Chin's death; a plot that would have worked if Duke Lukela hadn't reached Chin in time.<p>

Jenny was scared of her employers and she would be a fool to deny it. She was feared that about would happen if she couldn't maintain the illusion that everything was normal. She knew that there was a plan and she had to trust that the plan would work and find the courage to play her part in it.

However, the illusion of normalcy shattered the instant the unmistakable voice of Chin Ho Kelly rang out loud and clear from the police radio. "Attention all units. We have a bomb threat at pier thirty-one. Request that the bomb squad be sent immediately and that all available units assist in evacuating the Kuloliaarea."

Scott Miller immediately raced out of his cubicle and flung upon the door to Zar's domain. "Alexander! There's a bomb threat at the harbor. Our 'injured' co-worker just announced it over the radio."

"What!" Zar yelled before suddenly becoming quiet. When he spoke again it was with more control. "Scott, Parker, let's go."

Jenny watched silently as the three men swiftly left the Five-O offices. As soon as she knew they were gone, Jenny dialed HPD. "Central, this is Jenny Sherman. I'd like to report that Five-O is responding to the bomb threat."

Still nervous and a little fearful about what Zar would do once he arrived at the scene, Jenny found a small measure of comfort in knowing that things were finally coming to a head and believing that by the end of the day that it would all end, one way or another.

Knowing that trying to keep working would be a fruitless endeavor, Jenny instead turned to prayer as she hoped beyond hope that all those she cared about would come home safe and sound. Five-O had already lost too much to come to this point; they couldn't afford to lose any more.

* * *

><p>Even though everything was falling apart around him, Steve did his best to remain still as he assessed the situation. Captain Largo looked as defeated as Xu looked confident. The expressions on the crew ranged from shocked and angry to steady and determined, giving Steve a good idea as to who was on Largo's and Da Shu's payrolls respectively. Looking onto the dock, Steve spotted Chin barking orders in a police radio and Duke having an animated conversation with <em>Danno <em>right before they both disappeared from sight.

So Danno wasn't completely out of the picture after all. In spite of the fact that Steve was literally standing on top of ticking bomb, that information brought a ray of hope into his thoughts. Steve still didn't understand why Jenny told him Danny had left Five-O when Danno was clearly still involved but Jenny wouldn't have lied…

Steve mentally chastised himself; he didn't have time for this. He needed to be prepared to act or he would lose more than just his life.

A tense couple of minutes passed before Steve watched Duke return to the barricade, however, Steve couldn't follow what the HPD sergeant was doing, as Xu choose that moment to order most of the crew to move away from the starboard rail.

Steve moved with the others toward the port side but was careful to stay at the edge of the group. As the crewmembers stopped, Steve moved to position himself so that he was still part of the cluster but only a few steps away from Xu was standing with a trigger in his hand, guarded by two goons.

The five minute deadline passed and Steve could tell that Xu was not happy that there was no sign of any movement from HPD. "Lukela!" the man yelled. "Your time is up and my path is still blocked. I will press this button if you do not do what I say."

Instantly, Duke countered, "I see no reason to agree to your request. You're hiding something but it's no loss to me if you blow yourself up."

Largo approached Xu. "I told you this wouldn't work. That cop doesn't care if we commit suicide. I'd rather be alive in prison than dead for no good reason."

"That cop," Xu sneered, "will think otherwise when he learns of our true cargo."

At those words, Largo's mouth shut and a glimmer of hope entered his eyes.

Xu showed the cops his trigger as he shouted, "You will reconsider your position. There are children aboard this vessel."

Duke didn't miss a beat. "Are you confirming that you are an employee of Da Shu and your organization is engaged in human trafficking?"

"I did not say that. I am simply bringing over girls so they can work in the states and send home money to their families."

"You are a slaver and we both know it."

"I have over a dozen girls. Do you want their blood on your hands?"

Duke paused before saying, "Give me a couple minutes."

"You have two."

It was beyond clear to Steve at this point that Duke was stalling for time. That meant that sergeant had some sort of plan, but what? If Steve could figure out what Duke needed, he could do more than just stand around uselessly on deck. The bomb was the problem, but he had no training in disarmament; that was part of the reasoning behind getting Danno trained. No, if he was going to help it was going to have to be some other way.

Duke used every second of those two minutes and then some before Xu yelled out, "Is your watch broken, Lukela? Do not try my patience."

Duke's voice remained steady as he said, "Here's my counter offer. You release your cargo to us, including every single girl you have imprisoned in your hold, agree to never set foot in American waters again and I'll clear you that path to international waters."

As soon as Duke finished, Largo shouted, "Take it!"

Xu gestured and instantly two goons grabbed Largo by the shoulders. Xu leaned close to the trembling captain and stated, "Say another word and I will have my men cut your throat. This operation is bigger than you and your ship. These cops will never let us leave and I will not be the means by which an entire operation is destroyed. Do you understand?"

Largo nodded, his lips pressed tightly together.

"Get this worm out of my sight." The goons dragged Largo away leaving Steve with a clear path to Xu…

"This is your final warning," Xu declared, looking down at the cops gathered below. "Your men are too close. If this bomb goes off you will die."

There was no hesitation from Duke. "My men aren't moving. We will die to save the lives of those children. Release the girls and I will let you leave."

"Very well." Xu raised the trigger in his hand…

Steve moved and a heartbeat latter he closed the space separating him and Xu. Steve came up behind the man and quickly pinched a handful of skin under Xu's right arm and twisted, causing the man to gasp out in pain and letting Steve grab the trigger out of his hand.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to fight off a whole ship, Steve brought the trigger close to his chest and curled up in a ball on the deck, trying to delay long enough for HPD to storm the deck.

Punches and kicks made Steve grit his teeth in pain, but he ignored the beating his body was receiving as he focused solely on one task: protecting that trigger. Finally rough hands grabbed him behind, lifting him into the air as another goon grabbed his arm and pried his fingers loose.

A triumphant Xu pushed down on the trigger and Steve knew that he had failed.

* * *

><p>Kono stared out at the <em>Morning's Light. <em>He could hear the negations between the ship and Duke and he could tell that the ship was not going to back down. The _USCG Olson_ was safely out of range of a bomb, but Danny, Ben and many of his friends in HPD were not.

A fight broke out on the deck while Duke and a team of men raced toward the ship's ramp. This was the moment that would decide everything and all Kono could do was watch and hope and trust that man that Kono had the honor of calling hoaloha could pull off a miracle.

* * *

><p>Danny knew that he was cutting things close by the hurried whispers Ben was speaking into the small radio he was holding. So it was with a great sense of relief that Danny was able to announce, "It's defused."<p>

Ben leaned over Danny's shoulder and looked at the mess of cut wires and tangled wires and spoke into the small handheld radio. "This is Kokua. The bomb is defused. Repeat, the bomb is defused." Then lowering the device, Ben exclaimed, "You did it!"

Danny never knew how to respond to praise when it involved something so serious. It seemed wrong to take pride in something he had only done in response to another's horrific act. So Danny changed the subject as he worked to move the explosives away from the door they were barring in preparation for transportation off the ship. "Keep watch, once Duke moves in they'll realize the bomb isn't working and someone might come down here to find out why."

"Right."

While Ben kept a careful guard, Danny carefully moved the explosives to one side. Once the doorway was clear, he glanced at Ben to make sure the scene was still clear. Ben nodded and Danny slowly pulled open the door.

At the sight before him, the few words of Chinese that Chin had taught Danny over the years ran out of his mind as he just stared in horror at scene in front of him.

A group of eighteen dirty, malnourished, and battered girls lay chained to the wall, all looking at Danny with fear in their eyes.

There were no words.

* * *

><p>It bugged Chin that he was standing on the perimeter while Duke was risking his life to secure the ship. However, he agreed to this position because, while the announcement from Ben that Danny had disarmed the bomb removed one threat from the field, Jenny had called and reported that another threat was on the way twenty minutes ago and Chin expected them to show up any second now.<p>

This was not a threat that Chin could afford to take lightly, which was why he had four HPD officers guarding his back. He ordered his backup to be ready as Alexander Zar pulled up in what Chin still thought of as Steve's car and marched over to the police barricade with his two goons, Miller and Clausen, at his heels.

"Halt," Chin yelled as his backup blocked the Zar's access to the dock.

"Kelly." Zar spoke Chin's name like it was a dirty word. "Care to explain why you are not on medical leave and why Five-O was not informed of this operation?"

"I'm serving as the Five-O presence on this operation since you made it abundantly clear to everyone in Hawaii that you wanted nothing to do with the investigation into human trafficking."

"I stopped a pointless investigation over a whore's death. I should have been informed immediately if there was evidence of trafficking.

"Considering that's what Danny was trying to do when you fired him, you can forgive me for thinking otherwise," Chin spat.

Zar growled. "I do not have to take lip from you, Kelly. I order you to stand down and let me and my men through."

Meeting Zar's glare with one of his own, Chin's voice turned cold, "You tried to have me killed so you could turn Honolulu into a slave port."

"That's preposterous! I pro…" Suddenly, Zar froze and his eyes widened in shock as he stuttered, "It…it can't be…"

Adjusting his stance so that he could keep one eye on Zar, Chin glanced in the direction that the man was looking and saw what had stopped the usually brazen criminal in his tracks. Standing on deck of the _Morning's Light_ was the living, breathing and most definitely alive Steve McGarrett.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Disposal**

_A gray-haired man in a military cut looked out at his class of students and asked, "You are in a situation with a live bomb when do you consider the danger passed?"_

"_When the bomb is disarmed, Sir."_

"_Wrong, Mr. Jefferies. Mr. Williams?"_

_Danny considered his reply. "When the scene is secured and the bomb is disposed of, Sir."_

"_Mr. Williams is correct. Just because you get the clock stopped clicking it doesn't mean that the threat is over. Remember that if you are ever tempted to celebrate while you still have a couple of pounds of explosives sitting in your lap. Your job doesn't end until those explosives are safely removed from the scene. God help the fools who put their trust in you if you ever forget this."_

* * *

><p><em>Steve's<em> _alive_.

It's couldn't be true.

But it was.

_Steve's alive._

Chin knew couldn't afford to deal with this right now. Standing in front of him was the man who had already tried to kill him once and Chin suspected wouldn't hesitate to do so again. But the sight of McGarrett walking gingerly down the ramp with Duke at his side was one that he was unable to glance away from.

"Alexander, what should we do?" Miller asked in a shocked voice.

That question brought all those present back to their senses as Chin refocused his gaze on the three criminals.

"I'll deal with this," Zar stated as he took a step toward McGarrett who was headed in their direction.

"Freeze," Chin ordered as he drew his gun, the HPD officers behind him mirroring his actions.

"You are going on report for this, Kelly! No chink orders me around!"

"What do you think you're doing?" Steve yelled as he stormed over to the confrontation, the pain from his beating forgotten.

"This doesn't concern you, McGarrett," Zar spat.

"I don't know who you think you are but if you believe that you can address one of my men in this matter you are mistaken," Steve declared as he glared into Zar's cold eyes.

"You're behind on the news," Zar sneered. "I run Five-O, not you."

Steve's eyes flickered with rage. "I have news for you. I'm not dead and if you don't apologize and then crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out of, you will be."

Zar smirked. "Is that a threat?"

"You know it, Mister."

Chin could tell that Steve was barely containing his temper as his hands formed into fists and he continued to glare at the man who had taken his place.

Zar shrugged as if to show that he was not threatened by Steve and turned his attention back to Chin. "Kelly, I said stand aside."

"No." Chin's voice rang out clear he stood firm. Then reaching into jacket and pulling out three warrants, the detective let a smile cross his face as he announced, "Alexander Zar, Scott Miller, Parker Clausen you are under arrest for crimes against the State of Hawaii."

"You won't dare!" Zar hissed.

"Put your hands on your head now." Chin's voice turned cold and hard; he needed the goons to realize that he was serious.

For a moment Zar looked like he would go for his gun when he glanced at McGarrett. A sense of resignation hit him as he realized that McGarrett's return from the dead had destroyed any hope of savaging what was left his plots. So with a sigh, Zar put his hands on his head. His men followed suit.

Chin gestured for the HPD men to relieve Zar, Miller, and Clausen of their weapons. Then Chin personally cuffed Zar himself.

After making sure Zar and his men were securely locked into the backseats of separate cruisers, Chin looked over at Steve who glancing at him with concern in his eyes and questions on his lips. Not quite ready to have the conversation Chin knew was coming, he said, "I need to take care of this."

Nodding, Steve let him go.

* * *

><p><em>Steve's alive.<em>

Word travelled fast and even though Danny was hidden in the bowels of the ship, he and Ben had heard the news over the radio. At first, Danny had thought it was some sort of ill-timed joke but Ben swore that he heard confirmation from Duke that it was true.

_Steve's alive._

A wave of emotions threatened to overtake Danny but sorting through feelings of joy and relief, betrayal and anger, was something that he didn't have the time for. He was standing in a corridor of an enemy ship with a disarmed bomb and a roomful of slaves. No, he couldn't afford to think about Steve and his deceptions right now.

Looking again at the frightened faces of the girls, Danny longed for a way to tell them that they were safe, that everything was going to be okay. "English?" he asked in vain. When the girls continued to look at him with terrified expressions on their faces, he turned to Ben for help.

Ben shook his head, his face mirroring the anger and sadness found on Danny's own. While Ben was multilingual, Hawaiian or Samoan wouldn't be any more useful than English in this situation.

Minutes passed as Ben and Danny listened to the sounds overhead as HPD took control of the ship, hoping that the first person that turned into their corridor would be a friendly. Their hopes were fulfilled by a small HPD team that identified themselves before quickly securing the area.

Danny was about to speak when a female officer of Chinese descent separated from the group and quickly took over the scene. She ordered the men to stay back as she began to gently talk to the young girls chained in the hold.

Danny obeyed as he agreed that his gender made him a hindrance in this situation. Instead, he turned his attention to the disarmed bomb and asked the remaining officers members if the ship was secure enough to begin the process of disposing the explosive material.

Once he was given the go ahead and men to guard his back, Danny carefully picked up the remains of the bomb and followed the officers off the ship. As he stepped off the ramp, onto solid ground, he noticed that the bomb squad had arrived and had brought a van so they could safely dispose of the explosive material.

Grateful to hand off the remains of the bomb to those with more experience than him, Danny looked around the harbor. The area was swapped with HPD as officers were preparing the captured crew members for transport. Then Danny noticed only a few yards away Duke talking to Steve.

_Steve's alive and he's standing right in front of me._

This was real.

Danny knew he should check in with Duke and greet Steve but Danny couldn't bring himself to do it. In front of him was a man he considered a friend, a friend whom he grieved over, and a man who had decided that Danny shouldn't know the truth.

No, Danny was not in right emotional state to talk to Steve right now.

So before Steve could spot him, Danny ducked his head and walked away from the crowd of cops and wandered the docks until he found a spot where he could be alone.

And delay Danny's reunion with Steve long enough to figure out just what he was going to say.

* * *

><p><em>Steve's alive.<em>

Two words that changed everything.

Two words that brought joy and relief. Two words that brought anger and hurt.

Two words that told Kono that Steve had deliberately chosen to let his team believe that he had been killed rather than trust them with the truth.

That realization brought unwelcome tears to the detective's eyes as he wept for the lies and deceptions, for the lack of trust and the decisions that had broken Five-O into pieces.

Kono considered Steve ohana and a good friend but the people you love the most are capable of hurting you the most. And every time Kono tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for his boss's actions he couldn't forget that Steve had chosen to not trust.

That was what hurt most of all.

But why should Kono be shocked? For ten years, Kono had worked for Steve, and he knew that man better than most: his tendencies, his gifts and his faults. And it was during those years that Kono had worked his hardest, giving up his social life, his energy, and his blood to keep Hawaii safe. He had always been a good little detective, taking on impossible assignments without any complaint. He did whatever Steve ordered, he had accepted his boss's tendency to investigate cases in the way that he saw fit, regardless of what anyone else believed. And while Steve's methods almost always worked, this case was proof that they were not infallible, that they came with a high cost. And all too often that cost was borne by those who served under McGarrett.

For this was not the first time that Steve had chosen to go his own way, nor was it first time that Kono had been left in the dark, but it was the first time that he had realized that things didn't have to be that way. On Kauai, Kono learned that he didn't have to be a follower, that he could be a leader, that he could be in a position where he was given the trust and the respect of others.

After ten years of service, could he be blamed for wanting a better life?

Captain Bost came up and stood beside the pensive detective and cleared his throat. "Detective Kalakaua, we've been given the go ahead to leave the scene. Our orders are to drop you off and then resume our regular patrols. Where do you need to go?"

Where indeed.

In Honolulu, Kono had family and friends, a life that he enjoyed, and while he was mad at Steve, he knew that in time the hurt would heal and things would return to normal. But in Kauai he had an exciting new job and responsibilities that he had taken on. Would it be fair to KPD to leave so soon after joining it?

Kono had to make an impossible choice between his old life and a new life.

Kono knew that he didn't have to make this decision at this moment but he also knew that if got off this cutter in Honolulu to meet up with Steve, Danny and Chin it would become that much harder for him to leave Five-O.

And while Kono was glad that Steve was alive and that he was able to help in closing the book on this case, he knew in the depths of his heart that it was time to move on.

Kono just couldn't do it anymore.

Kono Kalakaua was done with Hawaii Five-O.

Turning to Bost, Kono replied, "Take me home – to Kauai."

* * *

><p><em>What in the world was going on? <em>

Ever since Steve had made attempts to return to the land of the living, nothing had made sense. First, he was told that Danny and Kono were no longer part of Five-O and then he saw Duke overseeing what should have been a Five-O operation. Steve had thought he had seen Danny speaking with Duke but now he was nowhere to be found, and he had discovered that a racist jerk had had replaced him after his 'death.' He had seen Chin but his friend had barely acknowledged his presence.

Why had Chin avoided taking to him? Where was Danny? Where was Kono? How bad had he hurt his men and Five-O by choosing to fake his death?

Steve hadn't really thought through the type of reception he would receive on his return but never would he have imagined that it would have been like this.

"Steve." A gentle voice called out from behind him.

Steve turned and saw the kind gaze of the middle-aged Hawaiian sergeant. Duke had helped him off the ship but he his mind had been focused on securing on the vessel so they hadn't got the chance to more than exchange a few words.

"How are you feeling?"

"Nothing's broken. Just a few bruises and I'll be sore in the morning but…" Steve's voice trailed off.

"But, after dying, a few bruises don't bother you anymore," Duke finished.

It was uncanny, how Duke was reading him. Steve only knew of a few people who were ever able to do so. Today, however, he was grateful as he knew he needed a friend he could confide in, a friend who would tell him the truth about what had happened in his absence.

"How bad was it, Duke?"

Duke paused to consider his answer before simply replying, "Bad."

Steve waited patiently for Duke to continue. Duke face showed the pain of the memories that told Steve just how bad things had been before the words even began.

"Your team was badly shaken by your death but you would have been proud of their resolve. Things would have worked out in time but then the attacks on Danny started. The public decided that he was too young, too inexperienced, and at the time we thought public opinion pressed the Governor into choosing another candidate to lead Five-O. When Zar showed up, everyone immediately knew that he was the wrong man for the job but by then it too late. Zar and Danny fought from day one until Danny lost it and Zar had his excuse to fire him. That didn't sit well with Kono who, after quitting, told all of HPD about the racist things Zar had called him. After that, to a man, all Hawaiians on the force refused to cooperate with Five-O. Zar then started operations against most of the crime lords in Honolulu, and has probably set back our work in that area for years as he revealed a lot of the intelligence we had gathered in doing so."

Duke was deadly serious as he looked Steve in the eye and said, "HPD's trust in Five-O is at an all time low and it is going to take time to repair it."

Sadden and shocked by what he was hearing, Steve could only nod to show that he understood.

"Chin discovered that young girls from China were being trafficked into Honolulu, but Zar refused to investigate and ordered Chin not to as well. Chin didn't stop and when Zar found out he ordered his men to make sure he was killed on the next raid. If Jenny hadn't overheard the conversation and gotten through to me, Chin would have died."

"Oh, God," Steve whispered.

"After that, Chin, Ben and I teamed up to find enough evidence to convict Zar and we found it. Zar was corrupt and part of a much larger plan. It was this point we contacted Jonathan Kaye and learned that he already knew that Zar was corrupt and had convinced the Governor to hire him order to catch Da Shu, the man behind this whole convoluted plot."

Steve's anger rose. "Kaye did what?"

"Deliberately placed a corrupt man in a position of power to achieve his own ends," Duke clarified. "That's how bad things got."

It was unbelievable but the tone of Duke's voice told Steve that every single word was true.

"You and Chin pulled this off?" Steve asked gesturing to towards the ship.

"Ben Kokua helped so did Danny and Kono in their own ways, but those are long stories and I have a crime scene to clean up and you have a meeting with the Governor to attend."

Steve knew that this conversation was over and that he needed to go, but there were still words that needed to be said. "Mahalo, Duke." Then swallowing his pride, Steve added, "I'm sorry."

"I'm not the person you need to apologize to."

"I know."

For that was the reason the Steve was driving to the capitol alone, the empty seats that should have been filled with the members of his team reminding him that the resolution of the case had come at a great cost.

* * *

><p>Ben Kokua found Danny Williams sitting at the end of an empty pier, his feet dangling over the water as he stared out towards the sea. The two of them had been friends for a long time, ever since Danny had joined HPD ten years ago and it hurt Ben to see his friend in so much pain. Danny had been so strong throughout this whole crisis, even aboard the ship once the truth become known but the danger was not yet passed. Danny needed time alone to process the events of today but duty pushed Ben forward.<p>

"Danny."

The solemn detective looked over his shoulder at Ben.

"I'm to tell you that Steve has left to meet with the Governor and Kaye and that you are invited to attend."

"I don't feel like going." Danny returned his gaze to the water. Ben knew that Danny wanted him to leave but there was information he had to share. So he walked down to the edge of the pier and sat beside his friend.

Since there was no easy break the news, Ben cut straight to the point. "Kono returned to Kauai."

Ben could tell that Danny understood the meaning behind his words by the flicker of resignation that crossed his friend's face. "I'll call him but I won't pressure him to come back. If Kono's happy he should stay there especially since..." Danny choked back tears, unable to finish.

Ben stated softly, "You're mad at Steve – you both are."

"Yes…no…I'm not mad; I'm furious at him, Ben. Did he take a moment to stop and think what faking his death would mean?"

"Knowing Steve, no," Ben answered honestly.

"That's the problem, Ben." Danny's voice rose as he finally let his anger show. "He never does. But no one ever complains because his crazy plans always work. Once Steve decides a course is right, he takes it. It's what makes him a good cop and it's why in the end I can't hate him for it."

There was a bond between Danny and Steve beyond mentor and protégée that Ben could not deny. It was because of that bond that Ben already knew that Danny would forgive Steve. So as gently as he could, Ben reminded his friend that he couldn't sit on this pier forever. "You will have to face him."

"I know."

It was with the knowledge in both their minds that the two friends sat silently watching the sea, searching for a sense of peace that would not come.


	15. Chapter 15

AN: Well, this took longer than I ever imagined it to as a hectic RL and writer's block collided to delay the writing and posting of this chapter. Thank you all for your patience, for reading and for your reviews; it means a lot to me. Special thanks goes to Tanith2011 for helping me overcome my writer's block and to my wonderful beta whose hard work has made this a better story. Thank you again for reading and I hope you all enjoy the ending of this little story.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: Aftermath<strong>

"_Sir, do you have a moment?" Danny was standing alone in a classroom. His training was over, he had successfully passed, but there was still something weighing on his mind._

"_How can I help you?" his instructor replied._

"_What happens when it's over? When the bomb is disposed and the scene is secured and everyone goes home? How do you move on?"_

_The instructor looked upon him kindly. "You are speaking from experience." _

_Danny nodded. "I still remember the first time I disarmed a bomb. One of your former students shouted instructions at me from behind a door rigged with more dynamite. I haven't forgotten those moments. I thought coming here would help me. That in gaining an element of control that I could find peace but…"_

"_They will haunt you, Danny. Every single one. You'll never forget them because you will never be able to forget how much destruction someone was willing to cause by setting that bomb and you'll never stop questioning the goodness of the human race."_

"_What should I do?"_

"_Remember. Remember that for every bomb someone sets that there is someone like you who would risk everything to stop it. It won't stop the sleepless nights but it will remind you that there is still good in this world."_

* * *

><p>Chin had expected to find some closure after booking Zar and his men but that sense eluded him as he walked alone up the stairs toward the Five-O office. Too much had happened, too many shocks in a short period of time and the implications of Steve's appearance had simply overwhelmed the tired detective.<p>

Stepping into the familiar office, Chin instantly noticed just how much was out of place. A half a dozen Internal Affairs officers were crawling all over the space, collecting documents and searching for evidence that would be used to put Zar and his men away for a very long time.

Chin's gaze continued around the room until he spotted Jenny sitting behind her desk, doing her best to continue in her duties. Jenny spotted him and gestured for Chin to follow her into Steve's office. Looking around, Chin could see this room too had been thoroughly searched by IA.

Closing the door behind them, hope flickered in Jenny's eyes as she asked, "Is Steve really alive?"

"Yes. I saw him."

Jenny began to cry tears of joy as she declared, "That's wonderful! And now Danny and Kono will be able to come back and everything will go back to how it was!"

Jenny's voice was so full of hope that Chin hated having to end her moment of happiness. "Jenny," Chin stated solemnly, "Kono left; I don't think he's coming back."

New tears formed in the secretary's eyes. "And Danny?"

"I don't know."

Jenny mumbled her thanks as she retreated from the office, returning to the comfort and familiarity of her own desk.

It hurt Chin to worry Jenny but what else could he say? There were no words he could think of that would ease the pain that they both felt at the destruction that had been wrought upon their team, their family.

Where had it all gone wrong?

It all had happened so quickly: Danny's arrest, Steve's death, Zar's arrival, Danny's and Kono's exit, the attempt on his life…

Bodies of innocent girls ripped from their homes and murdered in the streets.

One crisis after another.

Wounds reopened before they had been given a chance to heal.

Five-O shattered into pieces.

It was enough to make Chin wonder why he was still here.

Yet, all of the reasons Chin didn't leave when things were at their worst still held true. His family and his home were in Honolulu and in Five-O. His duty as a detective had not changed and would not change. Others depended on him to fulfill his duty to his family and to Hawaii.

When Chin closed his eyes he could see perfectly the image of Steve standing on the deck on the _Morning's Light_. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the man stood as tall and as resolute and when Zar began his verbal tirade against Chin, Steve hadn't hesitated a second in defending his detective.

Chin had worked with Steve from the creation of Five-O and knew the man inside and out. So even beneath his anger, Chin knew one undeniable truth: Steve listened to his gut and if his gut told him that faking his death was the best way to solve this case he would have made that decision without a second thought.

Could Chin stay mad at Steve for being true to character? Could he mad if that same character defended him against Zar without knowing the facts of the situation, the same character that once caused Steve to risk his career to save Chin's?

In his heart Chin knew that the answer was no but that didn't make the upcoming reunion any easier; a fact that was made very clear when a solemn-faced Danny Williams strode into the room.

"I got Zar," Chin said.

"Good."

"Nice job with the bomb."

Danny shrugged but didn't reply.

The silence quickly became awkward as neither man wanted to be the first to address the elephant in the room. Finally, Chin broke the silence, "Do you know what you're going to say?"

Danny shook his head. "No."

What could they say? What words could adequately convey the relief and the pain, the joy and the hurt?

Silence again filled the room as the detectives returned to their own private thoughts and waited for Steve to arrive.

* * *

><p><em>There was danger in letting so many strong and stubborn personalities gather in the same room, <em>Paul Jameson thought as he analyzed the looks Steve McGarrett, Jonathan Kaye and John Manicote were currently giving one another.

A meeting that had started with those present expressing heartfelt joy and relief at seeing Steve alive had quickly descended into heated arguments as none were happy about the events that had conspired in Steve's absence. And no man was angrier than Steve McGarrett.

"Alexander Zar, Scott Miller, Parker Clausen," Steve said, his voice filling with more disdain after every name. "Can someone explain why these menwere running Five-O?"

"You died, Steve," Kaye stated. "Someone had to replace you and once Zar was in charge he remade the team in the image he wanted."

"Danno should have…"

Manicote interrupted, "You put the Governor and Five-O in a bad position by choosing to go on your own. Don't criticize the decisions we made."

The two men stared into each others' eyes as tension filled the room.

"Gentlemen," Paul called out. "Please, we'll be here all night if we start second guessing all the decisions that were made. What's done is done. We need to decide what to do with the situation we have now."

"Very well," Steve conceded. "Our first decision will be to reinstate Danno and Kono."

"That's your call, Steve," Paul replied softly.

"What about those girls? What will happen to them?" Manicote asked.

Kaye spoke up, "There's an organization on the mainland that deals with victims of human trafficking. They'll care for the girls and as they improve find them foster homes and help them through the process of gaining citizenship."

"Good," Steve said.

Paul nodded his agreement for in spite of the disagreements in this room they all could agree that those girls were the real victims in this case and it was important that they receive the best possible care. Now, that he knew the victims were being cared for, Paul asked about the perpetrators. "What about Zar, Black and Da Shu? I don't want these men troubling Hawaii again."

Manicote spoke first. "Zar won't be a problem. Kelly and Lukela found enough evidence that I should be able to convince a judge to put him away for life."

"I spoke with the FBI and they assure me that Black is being taken care of as we speak," Kaye added. "I'm confident with the men we captured today and the support of the authorities in Singapore that it won't be long before Da Shu is brought to justice. Regardless, his operation is in shambles."

"Catch him, Jonathan," Steve stated. "My men paid a heavy cost in playing your games."

"We will, Steve," Kaye promised.

After covering a few more logistics, the meeting was called to a close. The two Jonathans left quickly leaving the two old friends alone. Steve looked weary as he rose and headed for the door; Paul could see that he was worried about the reunion with his team.

Knowing all too well how the heavy the weight of responsibility could wear one down, Paul called out a word of encouragement to a man he considered a good friend. "It will get better."

Steve turned. "You believe that?"

"Yes. You should be proud. Your men didn't let anyone stop them from finding the truth and keeping these islands safe. They'll come around."

"Thank you, Sir."

Then without another word the two men who held nothing but the utmost respect for the other clasped hands and found strength in the presence of the one another.

* * *

><p>The staircase to the Five-O offices never felt as long and as steep as it did at that day. A thousand worries crossed Steve's mind as he climbed those steps and tried to come up with the words that would bring peace to his hurting team.<p>

Opening the door to the outer office, Steve braced himself for what he'd find but the sight of the IA officers ransacking the place in search of evidence was a shock all the same. Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out loud and clear and she threw herself at him. "Oh, Steve!"

"I'm here, love," Steve replied as he wrapped his arms around his sobbing secretary.

Jenny held him tight as if she wasn't quite sure that Steve was real.

"Everything will be fine," Steve promised.

Jenny pulled out of the embrace and wiped at her tears with the back of her hand. Her eyes looked sorrowful as she replied, "I hope you're right."

Before Steve could ask his secretary what she meant, Jenny gestured towards his office. "They're waiting for you."

Patting Jenny reassuringly on the back as he passed her, Steve opened the koa doors and stepped into his office.

Danny and Chin turned to face Steve and for several seconds all they could do stare at each other. Then walking over to the large desk, Danny crossed his arms and leaned against the front, in the spot that Steve often took for himself.

Not sure how to begin but knowing he had to say something, Steve began with the most neutral comment he could think of. "The Governor told me you did work on this case, both of you."

"No thanks to you," Danny shot back.

Steve bristled at the remark but tried to keep calm. "You're upset."

"Upset?" Chin countered. "Your death destroyed Five-O! It almost got me killed – for real!"

"You think I wanted this?" Steve asked pointedly.

"It doesn't matter what you wanted or what you thought would happen," Danny argued. "What matters is what happened because you decided to act without telling anyone!"

"There was an attempt on my life. I thought there was a leak in Kaye's organization."

"Two weeks, Steve," Chin stated. "You're telling me in two weeks time you had no opportunity to tell us the truth, to let us know you were alive?"

"While you were dead, did you ever consider what was happening to Five-O?" Danny added.

"Every day, but I trusted that the team I built could handle the situation; I never imagined that the Governor would bring in an outsider." Steve voice starting to show his frustration, the anger directed at him was beginning to take its toll.

Danny started to pace. "You trusted us to handle Five-O but you couldn't bring yourself to trust us with the truth!"

The depth of his men's anger shocked Steve. He had expected his men to be hurt over the deception but he had never expected to find out that faking his own death had almost destroyed everything he had worked so hard to build. Duke's words had told him as much but they hadn't sunk in until he felt anger radiating from his second-in-command.

"Danno," Steve called out softly. "You won't be here if I didn't trust you. I knew the only reason I could fake my death because I could trust you and Chin and Kono to run things in my absence. Even when I tried to contact you and I learned that you were no longer part of Five-O, I believed that you would still be here when I came home. Can I trust that will you still be here tomorrow?"

Danny looked away, unable to answer. For the first time in this conversation, Steve began to fear that the sacrifices he had made to solve this case would cost him Five-O.

Chin stepped forward and looked Steve in the eye. "You did what you thought you had to. We know that. But why must you always go it alone?"

Steve debated several answers but in the end he knew his men deserved the truth. "I don't know, Chin. I do what I feel I must."

Chin nodded as if he had been expecting that answer. Danny was still avoiding Steve's gaze.

Taking advantage of the lull in the conversation, Steve decided it was time to ask the question he should have asked when he first stepped through the door. "Where's Kono?"

"Kauai. He an Assistant Chief of Police there now," Danny replied in a cutting tone that dared Steve to take offense.

"Temporarily?" Steve asked, hoped, prayed.

Danny and Chin exchanged a look. "You'll have to ask Kono," Chin stated.

Kono was gone and the look in his detectives' eyes told Steve that they believed that he wasn't coming back. "What happened?"

"Zar," Danny spat. "When Zar fired me, he called Kono some racist names and he quit."

Chin continued, "The Governor offered him the job on Kauai and he took it."

Steve felt every one of his forty-five years as he sank into a chair. "Oh, God."

Steve's rare display of weakness caught Danny off guard. He had expected Steve to fight back, to yell, to be firm in his defense of his actions. Instead, Steve remained calm and let the pain he was feeling show.

Danny had wanted Steve to give him an excuse to hit him but Danny couldn't be angry at the weary man, burdened with the weight of responsibly and the decisions he had been forced to make.

Danny's desire to scream at the world ended with the honest cry that had escaped Steve's lips.

Moving slowly, Danny eased into the chair next to the man whom he considered a friend and finally spoke the words that were weighing on his heart. "We thought you were dead. We _believed_ that you were dead. What else where we supposed to do?"

In that moment the dam burst and Danny's eyes filled with tears as the detective finally let the anger fade and depth of his pain and his grief show. "You died, Steve."

Steve's eyes met Danny's. "I had no choice."

It was the simple unvarnished truth and Danny was grateful for that. "I know."

Chin sat down in the third chair. "They broke us, Steve. Five-O shattered."

"No," Steve declared. "What I saw on docks was not a broken team, I saw a team that faced impossible odds and still didn't hesitate to do what was right." Steve paused to let his words sink in, before asking, "Are we going to let this case destroy us?"

Chin shook his head no and Danny replied without hesitation, "No, Steve."

As Steve looked at his men he saw that the pain wasn't gone, that the hurt was still there but he was also filled with the knowledge that they could work together to put the pieces back together again.

* * *

><p>Several days pased but the healing came slowly. Steve, Danny and Chin worked together to tie up the loose ends of this case but the laughter and the lighthearted fun they usually shared was still missing. Steve told himself that it would only be a matter of time as the team was making conscious efforts to come to terms with all that had happened but that didn't make the process any less painful or difficult.<p>

While Five-O was beginning to move forward there was another relationship that was showing serious signs of damage that couldn't that wouldn't be able to be healed with time. HPD's trust in Five-O remained at an all time low as Steve was just beginning to realize how much harm Zar had done to many of their long term operations. After several meetings with the Governor and Chief Dann, the decision was made to appoint Sergeant Duke Lukela as the official HPD liaison to Five-O. Their hope was that Duke's steady nature and the respect he garnered around the force would be an asset to repairing the strained relationship between two departments.

With Duke now in place, the next task to on Steve's list was the hardest of all.

Staring out at the waters of the Pacific, Steve wished the flight from Honolulu to Lihue was both shorter and longer. Shorter because he feared that he was already too late. Longer because he still had no idea what he would say.

For ten years, Kono had been an integral part of Five-O. The Hawaiian detective had caught Steve's attention with his assistance on bringing, at the time, the biggest drug lord in Honolulu to justice. When an opening had appeared on his team, Steve wasted no time in recruiting the young Hawaiian for he saw the potential within him. Over the years, the two had clashed at times but Kono's loyalty had never wavered. Fiercely passionate and yet gentle, Kono was always willing to get his hands dirty and go that extra mile to solve a case; he lived to protect the land, to see that all people received the justice they deserved. Five-O would be a lesser team without Kono in it.

Never one who was free with praise and affirmation, Steve wished that he had taken more time to tell Kono just how much he meant to Five-O's success. Now, Steve had the opportunity to say the things he should have said before but he couldn't help but worry that it wouldn't be enough.

* * *

><p>A single plane descended toward the runway and Kono knew that the time to face the consequence of his choice had come. Steve McGarrett was on that plane and Kono knew why his former boss had come.<p>

Kono had made his decision but, if Steve begged him to return, could he say no?

Time had tempered the anger and hurt and, while Kono still felt those things, he knew in his heart that Steve had acted as he always did: in the way he believed was right. Kono just wished that Steve could learn to trust, to let others take the risk with him.

Perhaps one day Steve would learn. However, that was Danny and Chin's problem now. Kono would be firm; he was done with Five-O.

As Steve stepped onto the tarmac, Kono forced back tears that were threatening to fill his eyes. Here was a man who had taught him so much, who had mentored him and helped shape him into the man he was today. Yes, Steve's decisions had hurt him, had angered him, but nothing Steve could do could ever change that fact that he had believed in him when no one else thought that a young Hawaiian detective from a poor family could ever have the talent and finesse needed to be a member of Five-O. In order to following the calling in his heart, Kono would have to hurt the man who had taught him believe in himself.

So it was with a heavy heart that Kono approached his friend. "Hello, Steve."

Steve smiled and his eyes twinkled as said, "Interesting place you got here."

Kono smiled back. "Wait ta you see da chickens."

"I hope you're not talking about your staff."

Kono laughed and suddenly the tension from the moment subsided as Steve gave him permission to talk about his new life. Gesturing for Steve to follow him, they walked to Kono's car where the Hawaiian drove around the island, using the opportunity to talk about KPD and the island that was being to feel more like home every day.

As Kono showed Steve around, the older detective couldn't help but be impressed at what he saw and heard as the younger man spoke about Kauai, his team, and the land that he saw as his to protect. Steve couldn't miss the change in that had occurred in the Hawaiian. Being out of the big city and into the countryside seemed to invigorate the young detective and the role that he had taken on had empowered him to view himself as a leader.

The more they talked, the more Steve realized that they were really saying goodbye. He couldn't avoid the words he had been holding back any longer. "You're happy here."

"Yes," Kono stated sincerely.

Steve took a deep breath and then spoke some of the hardest words he had ever he to say. "Then you should stay."

Kono didn't bother to hide the shock from his face. "I thought you would argue for me ta come back."

"If you were leaving over anger, I planned to," Steve admitted. "But it isn't anger that's keeping you away from Five-O."

"No," Kono agreed as he looked out over the countryside. "It's da land."

It was time. If Steve failed to speak the words on his heart he would always regret it. Looking into the gentle brown eyes of his friend, Steve said, "Kono, you are a good detective and a better man. You have a passion for justice and a dedication to your work that is a credit to you and to your people. It's been honor to have you serve on my team."

"The honor was mine," Kono replied as a lump formed in his throat. "E pili mau na pomaika'i me 'oe."

_May blessings ever be with you._ Steve recognized the Hawaiian phrase and held back tears as he looked at a man whom he held in the highest esteem. Once, in anger, Steve had confessed to Kono that he loved all of his team like brothers and now it felt like he was losing a member of his family.

Wrapping one arm around Kono's shoulders, Steve spoke a word that meant so much more than goodbye, "Aloha, Bruddah."

The finality of the moment hit Kono as pulled his former boss into a full hug. "Aloha."

For several moments the two men held one another and shared the love and respect that they held for each other. As the two friends pulled apart they were at peace with their decision to part and filled with hope at the future the other held.

* * *

><p>As Jenny looked around the office she found comfort in the fact that things were almost back to normal; at least that's what she could tell herself as long as she didn't look at Kono's empty cubicle.<p>

Five-O had come so close to being destroyed. They had survived but not without paying a high cost. Nothing could ever change the fact that an enemy had succeeded in shattering Five-O into pieces. For things that are broken can sometimes be fixed but when things are shattered they can never be remade completely whole. No matter how hard and long one looked one small sliver will always be missing. Kono was so much more than a sliver and, while Ben Kokua had been hired to fill the empty gap, the team would never again be remade completely whole. Jenny could bemoan this or let it go and hope that the team would make something new. Regardless, one thing was true: Five-O would never be the same.

PAU


End file.
